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February  2009 


f 


The 


Rosa  Rio  1 

Dark  Fantasy  4 

"Big  Brother"  Bob 
Emery  5 

Woman's 
Magazine  10 

Wistful  Vistas  11 

Charles  Herrold  12 

OTR  Anywhere  in 
the  House  14 

WMAQ  Pt.  3  75 

OTR  Confessions 
16 

Halls  of  Ivy  17 

Ports  of  Call  18 

Harold  Peary  Show 
19 

News  From  the 
Community  21 

New  Acquisitions 
29 


February 
Contributors 

Jim  Beshires 

Bob  Cox 
Ryan  Ellett 
Tom  Gootee 
Donna  Halper 
Thomas  Honsa 

Bret  Jones 
Barry  Mishkind 
Ned  Norris 
Doug  Stiver 

Edited  by  Ryan  Ellett 

Distributed  by  Jim 
Beshires 


Old  Radio  Times 

The  Official  Publication  of  the  Old-Time  Radio  Researchers 


www.otrr.org 


01dRadioTimes@yahoo.com  21 86  Subscribers  Number  39 


Rosa  Rio:  the  Music  of  the  Air 

Thomas  P.  Honsa 

Rosa  Rio  is  everything  the  golden  age  of 
radio  ever  hoped  to  be:  a  stately,  entertaining, 
vivacious  story  teller.  A  conversation  with  her 
is  illuminating  and  entertaining.  It's  an 
opportunity  to  peer  into  a  chapter  of 
America's  past  that  was  majestic  and 
fascinating.  Furthermore,  for  anyone  who 
may  think  those  golden  days  of  radio  are  long 
gone,  she  reminds  them  they  are  sadly 
mistaken. 

Rio  earned  fame  as  one  of  America's  great 
organists  at  a  time  when  such  performers  were 
an  essential  part  of  American  entertainment. 
She  accompanied  silent  films  and,  later,  radio 
and  television  dramas  with  an  improvisational 
style  that,  whether  they  realize  it  or  not,  many 
Americans  are  still  familiar  with  today.  It  was 
Rio  who  played  Camille  Saint-Saen's  famous 
Omphale's  Spinning  Wheel  that  opened  the 
radio  classic  The  Shadow.  It  was  she,  too, 
who  provided  much  of  the  mood  music  for 
The  Guiding  Light  and  other  popular  daytime 
dramas. 

Music  came  early  in  Rio' s  life.  The 
Internet  Movie  Database  says  she  began 
playing  piano  at  age  four  and  started  formal 
lessons  at  eight.  At  the  age  of  nine  her  father 
caught  her  accompanying  a  silent  film  on 
piano  in  a  hometown  theater.  "Oh  no,  you 
don't,"  she  remembers  him  saying  as  he  pulled 
her  from  the  chair  and  back  home. 

By  then,  though,  it  may  have  been  too  late. 
The  theater  was  in  Rio' s  blood.  She 
eventually  studied  music  at  Ohio's  Oberlin 
College  and  Rochester's  Eastman  School  of 
Music,  but  she  repeatedly  found  her  way  to 
cinema  work,  especially  in  the  Loew's  and 

The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009 


Seanger  theater  chains. 

Once  she  started,  she  says,  she  never 
looked  back  and  "I  never  had  a  dull  day  in  my 
life." 

Despite  her  enthusiasm,  the  attitudes  of  the 
time  presented  Rio  with  difficulties  in  her 
career.  Being  a  woman,  she  faced  special 
challenges,  and  she  realized  this  when  she 
audti toned  for  the  job  at  Loew's  theaters  in  the 
New  York  area. 

"The  reason  I  got  the  job  at  Loew's  was 
that  nobody  else  wanted  it.  The  manger  had 
already  interviewed  five  other  organists  and 
they  all  turned  it  down.  I  was  there  and  he 
began  to  tell  me  about  the  hours  and  the  pay 
and  conditions.  I  nodded  my  head  and  said 
'Yes,  sir.'  He  was  finished  and  looked  at  me 
and  said,  'You  didn't  inquire  about  the 
organ. . .  it's  an  Austin  and  I've  had  some  of 
the  top  organists  refuse  to  play  it.'  Well,  I 
knew  the  Austin  wasn't  a  theater  organ,  it  was 
a  classical  organ  but  I  wasn't  afraid  of  it,"  she 
remembers.  "It  made  me  angry  that  the  only 
reason  he  was  interviewing  me  was  because 
other  organists  had  already  turned  him  down. 


*  Number  39 


1 


That  was  my  turning  point.  I  realized  that  it  was  a  man's 
world  and  that  I'd  have  to  fight  all  the  way." 

From  New  York  it  was  on  to  Louisiana.  According  to 
Saengeramusements.com,  by  the  late  1920s  Rio  was  the 
featured  musician  at  their  New  Orleans  Strand  and 
Saenger  theaters  and  toured  the  chain's  other  venues.  She 
had  recently  married  John  Hammond,  and  southern 
theaters  offered  good  money. 

"They  really  wanted  to  get  a  big  name  for  their  chain, 
and  especially  a  northerner.  That  was  prestige  with  a 
capital  P,"  she  says. 

It  was  around  that  time,  though,  that  a  career  change 
became  necessary  for  all  theater  organists,  thanks  to 
Warner  Brothers'  The  Jazz  Singer. 

"When  Al  Jolson  got  down  on  one  knee  in  1927  and 
sang  'Mammy'  that  was  the  end  for  us,"  she  says.  "There 
was  nothing  left  to  do  but  fulfill  our  union  contracts. 
Actually,  though,  there  were  many  break-downs  [with  the 
new  sound  equipment],  so  the  theater  owners  were  glad  to 
have  us  to  entertain  the  audience.  But  eventually  they 
perfected  it  and  we  were  through,"  she  remembers. 

Rio  left  New  Orleans  and  began  teaching.  "That 
led  to  an  audition  for  me  at  NBC  in  New  York,"  she  says. 
But  just  as  she  had  in  silent  cinema,  she  had  to  fight  for 
her  status  as  a  woman  in  show  business.  "I  auditioned  for 
Leopold  Spitalny  [then  head  of  NBC  music].  I  finished 
and  he  said,  'That  was  excellent.  You  played  that 
beautifully.'  So  I  asked, 'Did  I  get  the  job?'  He  sort  of 
hemmed  and  hesitated  and  finally  said,  'Well,  stay  a  week 
and  we'll  see.'  That  made  me  mad.  I  said,  'Wait  a 
minute,  did  your  ad  say  you  were  looking  for  a  male  or 
female  organist?  It  shouldn't  make  a  difference.  Now,  if 
I  come  in  on  Monday,  I'm  staying  more  than  a  week.'  He 
smiled  at  me  and  said,  'Okay.'  And  I  was  there  for  the 
next  seven  years. .  .You  see,  he  judged  me  by  my  work  and 
not  my  sex." 

The  year  was  1938  and  Rio  was  assigned  to  NBC's  The 
Shadow,  starring  a  very  young,  and  very  mischievous, 
Orson  Welles.  Welles  reportedly  dropped  his  script  once 
while  standing  at  the  microphone  at  the  start  of  a  live 
broadcast.  Radio  performers  of  the  time  regularly  held  the 
scripts  before  them  throughout  the  shows  and  audiences  at 
home,  of  course,  could  never  tell.  Now  Welles,  before  his 
horrified  colleagues,  had  strewn  his  lines  across  the  studio 
floor.  Just  as  his  they  began  to  scramble  for  the  scattered 
pages,  he  calmly  pulled  an  extra,  hidden  copy  of  his  lines 
from  his  coat  pocket,  grinned  and  continued  the  show. 
Rio  says  that  was  vintage  Welles. 

"He  loved  to  play  tricks  on  people  and  constantly  kept 
us  in  stitches.  We  always  had  to  watch  our  laughter 


because  we  were  on  the  air.  He  was  so  remarkable, 
though,  and  so  talented  that  the  producers  never  said  a 
word  to  him  about  his  antics.  They  were  so  taken  with  his 
artistry... he  was  absolutely  perfect  in  his  timing.  But  you 
never  knew  what  he  was  going  to  do." 

One  thing  Rio  still  remembers  fondly  about  The 
Shadow  is  the  professionalism  exhibited  by  the  stars  and 
staff.  Even  then,  she  says,  she  could  spot  Welles'  genius. 

"I  remember  Orson  Welles  had  two  microphones.  He, 
of  course,  was  two  characters,  the  detective  Lamont 
Cranston  and  the  Shadow.  He  would  run  from  the  first 
microphone  to  the  second  to  do  the  different  voices.  He 
was  simply  amazing  and  could  completely  change 
character  in  those  three  or  four  steps." 

Radio  drama  had  an  unpredictability  that  Rio  had 
trained  well  for  with  her  work  in  silent  film.  Often,  she 
says,  actors  would  rehearse  a  scene  one  way  and  then 
would  broadcast  it  another,  changing  the  tenor  of  the 
whole  show.  And  she  had  to  adjust  on  the  go. 

"I  think  I  did  that  an  awful  lot  unconsciously.  You  had 
to  follow  the  actors,  and  the  actors  would  read  the  script 
one  way  the  first  time  and  the  next  time  it  was  a  little 
different.  They  may  change  their  entire  character  by  the 
time  we  were  on  the  air." 

This  knack  for  what  Rio  calls  "instant  composing"  was 
a  source  of  her  long  success  in  the  business,  and  she 
credits  not  only  natural  talent,  but  formal  training  as  well. 

"The  people  who  employed  me  to  do  The  Shadow  were 
very  impressed  with  my  ability  to  do  impromptu  music.  I 
could  match  the  playing  with  the  mood  of  the  script.  It 
seems  something  I  was  born  with  and  I  had  for  years  done 
it  in  silent  pictures.  I  did  it  right,  too.  A  lot  of  the  guys 
were  faking  when  they  tried  to  impromptu,  but  I  never 
faked.  I  had  a  good  musical  background." 

That  flexibility  was  not  only  a  factor  in  her  success, 
says  Rio,  but  was  critical  to  the  success  of  radio  drama  as 
a  whole.  "In  radio,"  she  says,  "everybody  listening  has  a 
different  picture  of  what's  going  on.  The  music  creates 
the  feeling  for  the  situation,  though.  The  music  creates  the 
mood  while  the  mind  creates  the  pictures. . .  your  audience 
imagines  how  you  looked.  You  had  only  the  voices  and 
the  listener  was  in  their  own  little  heaven." 

Rio's  success  on  The  Shadow  led  to  more  work  on 
other  big-name  shows  such  as  Cavalcade  of  America  and 
Town  Hall  Tonight.  Along  the  way  she  had  the 
opportunity  to  work  with  some  of  the  biggest  names  in 
American  entertainment.  Kirk  Douglas,  she  says,  was 
especially  impressive. 

"We  used  to  say  Kirk  Douglas  was  on  stage  all  the 
time.  From  the  moment  he  would  pick  up  the  script  and 


The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


start  to  rehearse  he  was  already  acting.  He  was 
remarkable... full  of  'hot  vinegar'  as  we  used  to  say.  It 
didn't  matter  what  the  show  was,  he  could  be  convincing 
on  any  story." 

Some  of  Rio's  fondest  memories  are  of  the  comedians 
she  worked  with.  They  provided  her  with  humorous,  yet 
often  tense,  moments.  One  such  incident  came  thanks  to 
the  famous  Jimmy  Durante. 

"One  of  the  last  times  I  was  on  with  him  I  was  to  play 
the  Hammond  organ.  Now,  when  he  was  younger  he  had 
been  a  bit  of  a  piano  player,  but  he  just  ruined  the  music. 
That  was  part  of  his  personality.  He  did  it  to  make  people 
laugh.  Well,  I  was  scheduled  to  go  on  and  he  was  running 
over.  I  kept  looking  at  the  clock.  I  was  on  in  15  minutes, 
then  it  was  ten,  then  five.  Next  thing  I  know  I  was  on  in 
one  minute  and  he  was  just  finishing  his  routine.  I  was 
terrified  to  say  anything.  How  do  you  go  to  a  big  star  like 
Jimmy  Durante  and  say  'Sorry  Mr.  Durante,  but  I'm  on 
next'  ?  He  finally  looked  over  and  saw  me  and  called  me 
out  onto  the  stage.  He  met  me  over  at  the  organ,  laid  that 
famous  hat  down  and  said  'I'd  give  a  million  dollars  to  be 
able  to  play  like  you.'  Later  his  manager  came  and  saw 
me  and  said,  'You  know,  he  meant  every  word  of  that.'" 

As  well  as  Rio  got  along  well  with  her  co-workers  and 
employers,  she  continued  to  face  the  challenges  of  a 
working  woman  at  the  time.  In  his  book  on  radio  history 
The  Great  American  Broadcast,  Leonard  Maltin  relates 
announcer  Jackson  Beck's  story  of  the  time  Rio  had  to 
contend  with  the  antics  of  fellow  announcer/actor  Dorian 
St.  George.  "She's  at  the  Hammond  organ,  and  she's  a 
very  attractive  talented  lady,  great  sense  of  humor.  And  he 
[St.  George]  went  up  and  unbuttoned  her  blouse  while 
she's  playing;  she  had  a  blouse  with  buttons  down  the 
back.  He  unbuttoned  the  whole  thing  and  then  he  undid 
her  bra.  She  can't  say  anything,  and  there's  an  audience 
up  in  the  visitors'  booth  at  NBC  watching  this.  She  waits 
until  his  middle  commercial  comes  up  and  she  walks  up, 
undoes  his  belt,  unzips  his  fly  and  drops  his  pants." 

Rio  says  the  incident  really  happened  and  notes  how 
different  life  was  for  working  women  back  then.  "They 
did  everything  they  could  to  tease  me  because  I  had  the 
reputation  of  being  a  good  sport.  You  see  I  was  the  only 
woman  and  that  was  really  something.  I  must  say  they 
never  showed  me  anything  but  great  respect,  but  they  did 
love  to  tease  me." 

As  a  new  broadcast  era  dawned,  Rio  left  radio  for 
television.  Her  TV  credits  include  Appointment  with 
Adventure,  The  Brighter  Day,  The  Guiding  Light  and  The 
Today  Show.  Her  talents  seemed  particularly  well- 
matched  to  daytime  dramas  (she  hates  the  term  "soap 


operas"),  and  the  format  welcomed  her. 

Remarriage  and  a  move  to  Connecticut  in  1960  hardly 
meant  retirement  for  Rio.  Her  new  home  included  a  large 
music  room  and  recording  facility  and  she  taught, 
recorded  and  published  music  from  there.  She  arranged  a 
command  performance  for  United  Nations  Secretary 
General  Dag  Hammarskjold.  The  IMDb  says  Rio 
recorded  organ  music  for  375  silent  films  released  on  the 
Video  Yesteryear  label  in  the  1980s.  She  still  performs 
near  her  home  in  Sun  City,  Florida.  She's  especially  well 
known  for  accompanying  films  at  Tampa's  fully  restored 
movie  palace,  The  Tampa  Theater. 

But  even  after  such  a  rich,  full  life  in  so  many  facets  of 
the  entertainment  field,  people  today  still  associate  Rio 
with  the  golden  age  of  American  radio.  After  all,  she 
occupies  a  special  place  in  its  history.  And  those  old 
shows  are  making  a  comeback,  thanks  to  the  internet  and 
MP3  recordings.  A  Google  search  of  "Old  Time  Radio" 
uncovers  over  1,300,000  entries. 

There  is  one  final,  fitting  bit  of  biographical 
information  people  should  know  about  Rio.  She  doesn't 
like  to  talk  about  her  age.  For  years,  in  fact,  she 
sidestepped  the  issue  with  both  interviewers  and 
audiences.  And  so  she  should.  Rio  is,  after  all, 
representative  of  a  radio  past  that  still,  like  her,  engages 
and  delights  audiences.  That  makes  her  story,  like  the 
stories  she  accompanied  and  like  Rio's  legacy  itself, 
timeless. 

Tom  Honsa  is  an  adjunct  professor  of  History  at  Eckerd 
College  and  Manatee  Community  College  in  Florida.  He 
recently  interviewed  Rosa  Rio,  who  is  still  performing  at 
the  age  (unofficially)  of  105. 


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The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


Dark  Fantasy:  WKY's  Contribution  to 

NBC  Programming 

Bret  Jones 
Copyright  ©  2008 

During  the  height  of  radio  drama  broadcasts,  shows 
originated  from  urban  areas  where  technology,  actors, 
writers,  and  production  staff  were  the  best  available.  For 
NBC,  programming  was  carried  by  the  network  from  New 
York,  Chicago,  and  Hollywood.  But  for  a  one  season  run 
of  twenty- six  weeks,  NBC  broadcast  the  horror  anthology 
series  Dark  Fantasy,  which  came  from  WKY  in  Oklahoma 
City. 

WKY  was  started  by  two  radio  hobbyists,  E.C.  Hull 
and  H.S.  Richards,  who  started  broadcasting  under  the  call 
letters  5XT  in  the  spring  of  1921.  The  station's  location 
was  in  Hull's  garage  at  his  house  in  Oklahoma  City.  The 
living  room  was  converted  into  a  "studio"  and  the  duo 
started  in  the  radio  broadcasting  business.  As  of  1921, 
WKY  was  among  three  commercial  stations  west  of  the 
Mississippi  River;  the  other  two  were  in  Detroit  and 
Kansas  City.  The  station  would  eventually  be  purchased 
by  The  Oklahoma  Publishing  Company. 

Within  a  short  period  of  time  WKY  became 
Oklahoma's  premiere  radio  station  with  studios  in  the 
Skirvin  Tower  near  downtown  Oklahoma  City.  In  1941 
WKY  staff  auditioned  the  horror  series  Dark  Fantasy. 
According  to  The  Oklahoman:  ". .  .WKY  will  demonstrate 
that  it  has  reached  full  maturity  by  inaugurating  a  series  of 
programs  Friday  on  the  NBC  red  network. .  ."(Oklahoman, 
11/13/41)  The  article  professed:  "Friday  night  it  will 
become  the  first  station  outside  of  New  York,  Hollywood 
and  Chicago  from  which  a  dramatic  production  has  been 
originated  for  the  national  chain."  The  show  was 
presented  over  more  than  125  stations. 

Dark  Fantasy  was  written,  produced,  and  acted  by 
WKY  staff.  Scott  Bishop,  who  would  go  on  to  pen  stories 
for  Mysterious  Traveler,  was  the  writer  for  the  anthology. 
The  producer  for  the  program  was  John  Prosser  and  some 
of  the  actors  included:  Ben  Morris  and  Eugene  Francis, 
who  were  heard  week  after  week  taking  on  new  roles. 
This  is  unprecedented  during  the  "golden  age"  of  radio 
broadcasting  as  audio  theatre  of  the  day  was  presented  by 
professional  actors  and  writing  staff.  This  makes  Dark 
Fantasy  a  unique  entry  in  the  history  of  the  medium. 
The  only  well-known  performer  to  appear  on  the  show 
was  Jane  Wyatt,  the  three-time  Emmy- winning  actress. 
The  parts  she  is  remembered  for  is  from  Father  Knows 


Best  starring  opposite  Robert  Young  and  as  Mr.  Spock's 
mother  from  Star  Trek.  The  Dark  Fantasy  episode  she 
appeared  in  was  "Debt  from  the  Past." 

From  its  first  episode  the  program  was  immediately 
compared  to  Lights  Out,  which  was  considered  the 
pinnacle  of  audio  horror.  Also,  being  in  the  horror 
category  helped  determined  its  1 1:30pm  timeslot  on 
Friday  nights.  The  show  in  many  ways  resembled  the 
melodramatic  quality  of  Lights  Out,  Sealed  Book,  and 
Witches'  Tale,  but  possessed  its  own  unique  brand  of 
eeriness. 

Each  show  opens  with  a  fierce  winding  blowing 
underscored  by  a  moody  organ  chord.  A  detached  voice, 
almost  devoid  of  life,  announces  the  show: 
"Dark. .  .Fantasy."  InnerSanctum' s  Raymond  or  "the  man 
in  black"  from  Suspense  had  more  personality.  For  just  a 
moment  it  resembles  the  zombie-like  voice  from  the 
beginning  of  Lights  Out:  "It  ...  is  ...  later  . . .  than  . . .  you 
. . .  think."  With  Raymond  and  "the  man  in  black"  there 
was  at  least  a  wink  thrown  at  the  audience,  not  so  with 
Dark  Fantasy.  As  soon  as  the  dead  voice  announced  the 
show,  the  title  was  given  and  the  play  began. 
Episodes  from  the  series  deal  with  dark  imagery  and 
interesting  stories.  For  example,  the  first  episode,  "The 
Man  Who  Came  Back,"  a  man  returns  from  the  dead  to 
punish,  and  eventually  drive  an  enemy  to  commit  suicide. 
"I  am  the  Thing  from  the  Sea"  has  two  beings  from  a 
legendary  sea  kingdom  taking  possession  of  humans  to 
have  a  final  confrontation,  which  destroys  the  island  in  the 
process.  "The  Demon  Tree"  incorporates  English  folklore 
dealing  with  a  tree  cursed  to  kill  the  descendants  of  a  man 
who  killed  a  witch. 

The  most  unique  show  from  the  series  is  the  fifth 
episode,  "I  am  the  Dweller  in  the  House  of  Bread."  Scott 
Bishop  narrates  the  story  as  he  describes  a  dream  he  has  of 
"a  wise  man"  telling  him  to  find  the  "house  of  bread." 
During  his  journey,  which  takes  on  monumental  spiritual 
proportions,  he  desperately  searches  for  this  "house  of 
bread"  that  has  been  proclaimed  as  a  place  of  comfort  and 
peace.  At  the  end  of  the  tale  Bishop  finds  himself  in 
Bethlehem,  which  translated  means  "the  house  of  bread." 
The  man  in  his  dream  is  implied  as  Jesus  Christ,  whose 
name  in  the  program  is  "Word."  This  was  Dark  Fantasy's 
Christmas  show.  Compared  to  other  programs  of  the  age, 
this  one  episode  stands  out  as  a  unique  offering  on  the 
airwaves. 

The  show  continued  to  receive  support  from  The 
Oklahoman  with  broadcast  times  published,  as  well  as 
occasionally  one  paragraph  blurbs  over  Friday  night's 
storyline.  One  such  issue  of  the  newspaper  promoted  the 


The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


Friday  the  thirteenth  episode  from  February  1942. 
According  to  the  paper:  "Who-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o  is  scared 
of  Friday  the  thirteenth?  Not  the  cast  of  'Dark  Fantasy,' 
that  weird  and  grisly  horror  drama. . ."  (Oklahoman, 
2/13/42)  The  article  continues: 

When  Author  Scott  Bishop  and  Producer  John  Prosser 
noticed  they  had  to  present  the  thirteenth  in  their  series  of 
blood-curlers  on  Friday  the  thirteenth,  they  determined  to 
abandon  caution  entirely. 

The  episode's  title  for  this  entry  in  the  series  was  "W  is 
for  Werewolf." 

Unfortunately,  the  series  didn't  capture  a  large  enough 
audience  and  was  cancelled  by  NBC  in  the  early  summer 
of  1942.  This  didn't  stop  The  Oklahoman  from  bragging 
about  WKY's  achievement.  In  April  1944  the  paper 
reminds  readers  of  the  twenty-six  week  run  of  Dark 
Fantasy.  This  is  the  last  time  that  The  Oklahoman  wrote 
about  the  radio  drama. 

Although  its  run  was  short,  Dark  Fantasy  is  a  solid 
program  with  interesting  stories  acted  well  and  with  high 
quality  sound  effects  and  music.  The  stories  range  in 
writing  quality.  Some  of  Bishop's  early  yarns  in  the  series 
are  overly  melodramatic  and  predictable.  However,  as  the 
show  progressed  from  week  to  week,  so  does  the  quality 
of  the  stories.  The  structure  is  tighter  with  unique  plots, 
characters,  and  conflicts.  For  the  horror  connoisseur  this 
is  a  good  addition  to  the  collection. 


"Big  Brother"  Bob  Emery  ...  a  Legend 
in  Children's  Programming 

Donna  Halper 

If  you  grew  up  in  greater  Boston  in  the  early  1950s, 
you  remember  seeing  Big  Brother  on  channel  4.  By  then, 
he  was  an  older  man,  grandfatherly  in  appearance,  but  still 
quite  energetic.  I  remember  him  with  his  ukulele,  singing 
"Oh  the  grass  is  always  greener  in  the  other  fella's  yard/ 
the  little  row  we  had  to  hoe,  oh  boy  that's  hard...",  or  at 
least  that's  what  it  sounded  like.  I  didn't  fully  understand 
the  words,  but  I  liked  how  he  sang  the  song.  His  program 
taught  values  like  good  citizenship  (remember  the  Toast  to 
the  President  of  the  United  States?  There  was  President 
Eisenhower's  photo,  and  Big  Brother  would  hold  up  a 
glass  of  milk,  while  "Hail  to  the  Chief"  played  in  the 
background),  while  entertaining  kids  with  songs  and 
stories  and  even  a  contest  or  two.  He  referred  to  his  young 
audience  as  "small  fry",  and  his  closing  song  was  "So  long 
small  fry,  it's  time  to  say  goodbye..." 

Since  I  was  only  a  kid  in  the  early  50s,  I  had  no  idea 
that  he  had  been  doing  the  "Small  Fry  Club"  in  one  form 
or  another  for  the  past  30  years.  I  also  didn't  know  that  the 
original  version  of  his  closing  theme  song  had  a  line 
which  said  "Come  back  again  tomorrow  night  and  then/ 
we'll  have  more  fun,  there's  some  for  everyone...";  in  his 
radio  days,  the  Big  Brother  Club  was  broadcast  right  after 
dinner,  at  6:30  pm.  But  on  television,  the  show  had  a 
weekday  afternoons  at  12:15  time  slot,  causing  the  lyrics 
to  change  to  "come  back  again,  tomorrow  noon  and 
then..." 

Years  later,  when  I  had  long  since  outgrown  children's 
shows,  I  sometimes  wondered  whatever  happened  to  the 
announcers  and  performers  I  grew  up  listening  to  and 
watching.  When  I  became  a  broadcast  historian,  I  started 
doing  research  on  those  great  personalities  from  the  40s 
and  50s,  and  it  was  then  that  I  finally  learnt  about  Big 
Brother's  many  achievements.  One  article  I  found  about 
him  was  especially  interesting  -  it  was  written  in  1968, 
just  after  he  had  retired,  and  in  it,  he  told  the  interviewer 
that  he  was  busy  writing  a  book  about  his  career  in 
broadcasting.  To  my  knowledge,  that  book  never  came 
out,  which  is  a  shame,  because  "Big  Brother"  Bob  Emery 
certainly  deserves  to  be  remembered. 

Claire  Robert  Emery  was  born  in  Abington, 
Massachusetts,  and  he  graduated  from  Abington  High 
School.  Much  of  his  youth  was  spent  on  his  grandfather's 
farm.  He  later  moved  to  Hingham.  Unsure  of  what  he 
wanted  to  do  with  his  life,  he  took  a  job  at  Gilchrist's 


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Department  Store  in  Boston,  managing  the  shoe 
department.  It  was  customary  in  those  days  for  companies 
to  have  employee  glee  clubs  or  drama  groups  to  entertain 
at  company  functions.  Bob,  who  could  play  several 
instruments,  joined  a  quartet  at  the  store.  It  was  1921,  and 
the  local  radio  station,  1XE  (later  known  as  WGI)  was 
constantly  seeking  volunteer  talent  to  perform  on  the  air. 
So  the  Gilchrist  Quartet  went  to  Medford  Hillside  to  sing 
at  1XE,  and  even  though  they  only  knew  a  few  songs,  they 
got  a  good  response. 

The  PD,  Herb  Miller,  liked  their  harmonies  and  invited 
them  back.  He  especially  felt  that  Bob  had  potential  as  an 
entertainer,  and  during  the  Christmas  season,  he  asked 
Bob  to  play  Santa  Claus  on  1XE.  Bob  felt  he  was  too 
young  to  be  a  credible  Santa,  so  he  created  a  character 
called  "Big  Brother"  to  read  stories  and  answer  kids' 
letters  to  Santa.  He  was  ultimately  hired  full-time,  with  a 
salary  of  $35  a  week.  During  1922,  he  alternated  with 
various  of  the  AMRAD  employees  (including  Bill 
Barrow—  or  "Uncle  Billy",  Eunice  Randall,  and  several 
others)  handling  the  children's  programming. 


He  also  used  his  musical  talent  to  sing  with  other 
Amradians,  and  sometimes  he  accompanied  a  vocalist. 
But  it  would  be  another  year  before  he  became  the  official 
host  of  a  very  successful  kids'  show  -  The  Big  Brother 
Club. 

By  late  1923/early  1924,  Bob  Emery  (or  C.R.E.  when 
he  was  announcing  -  some  announcers  still  used  only 
initials,  a  tradition  from  the  early  days  of  ham  radio)  was 
the  Program  Director  of  WGI.  He  had  also  started  the  Big 
Brother  Club,  and  it  was  rapidly  becoming  a  very  popular 
program.  As  its  name  suggested,  it  was  a  club  -  kids  who 
listened  could  apply  for  membership.  They  would  get  a 


membership  card  and  pin,  and  they  had  to  promise  to  do 
good  deeds  and  be  good  citizens. 

Bob  Emery  at  WGI  in  1924 

Bob's  show  on  WGI  was  done  with  a  very  limited 
budget  (AMRAD  was  in  financial  trouble  by  this  time), 
but  kids  loved  him,  and  he  always  managed  to  find 
interesting  guests.  Meanwhile,  as  AMRAD's  money 
problems  grew  more  serious,  Bob  Emery  and  several  other 
WGI  personnel  quietly  began  seeking  other  options,  in 
case  their  paychecks  suddenly  came  to  a  halt. 

Fortunately,  a  new  station  was  going  on  the  air  in 
September  of  1924  -  run  by  the  Edison  Electric 
Illuminating  Company.  It  had  financial  stability,  it  wanted 
to  hire  good  people,  and  Bob  decided  to  join  them  as  their 
PD.  This  must  have  been  a  serious  blow  to  WGI  to  lose 
the  person  who  was  their  highest  profile  talent  -  Bob  did 
lots  of  appearances  and  was  a  good  will  ambassador  for 
the  AMRAD  station  -  but  now,  he  took  those  talents  to  a 
new  station,  for  which  he  requested  the  call  letters  WEEI. 
(Going  with  him  as  his  assistant  was  Marjorie  Drew,  who 
had  been  in  charge  of  women's  programming  at  WGI.  She 
would  now  do  similar  programming  at  WEEI,  and  also 
help  to  book  the  guests  for  the  Big  Brother  Club.) 

With  its  new  studios  at  39  Boylston  Street,  WEEI 
wasted  no  time  making  an  impact.  It  stole  several 
respected  radio  columnists  away  from  their  newspapers  to 
be  in  upper  management  (Charlie  Burton  of  the  Boston 
Herald  and  Lewis  Whitcomb  of  the  Boston  Post),  hired 
several  of  AMRAD's  engineers,  and  was  ready  to  give 
WNAC  -  the  other  big  station  in  Boston  that  could  afford 
to  pay  its  talent  -  some  real  competition.  Thanks  to  its 
Edison  connection,  WEEI  already  had  a  number  of 
experienced  musical  groups  in  house  -  as  you  may  recall, 
companies  in  those  days  encouraged  employees  to 
perform  at  company  functions  -  but  WEEI's  management 
was  determined  to  hire  the  best  people,  even  if  that  meant 
going  outside  of  Edison.  (Meanwhile,  WBZ  was  still  in 
Springfield  and  still  working  out  technical  problems  with 
its  Boston  studio.  Soon,  WEEI  would  hire  away  one  of 
WBZ's  best  known  announcers  too.) 

WEEI  did  its  first  broadcast  in  late  September,  and 
within  only  a  few  days,  the  Big  Brother  Club  was  back  on 
the  air,  this  time  with  a  much  bigger  budget  and  a  much 
better  signal.  6  October  1924  was  the  first  "club  meeting", 
and  the  show  was  very  well-received. 

Bob  began  writing  a  monthly  column  for  the  Edison 
company  publication,  "Edison  Life",  wherein  he  kept 
everyone  at  Edison  up  to  date  with  what  the  club  was 
accomplishing.  It  was  in  an  issue  of  "Edison  Life"  that  he 


The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


explained  why  he  had  chosen  the  name  Big  Brother.  He 
explained  how  the  show  came  to  be  -  that  he  had  felt  it 
was  time  for  a  children's  show  that  did  more  than  just  read 
bed-time  stories,  a  show  in  which  the  kids  could 
participate,  and  not  just  sit  passively  listening  to  the 
announcer.  "[Next,  I  wanted  to]  create  a  character  who 
would  have  a  good  influence  on  children.  The  Big  Brother 
idea  serves  this  purpose.  We  all  remember  we  looked  to 
our  Big  Brother  for  assistance,  and  if  we  had  none,  how 
we  all  wished  we  did." 

Further,  he  stated  that  the  show  had  no  advertising 
purpose  (this  would  soon  change),  and  that  its  sole  intent 
was  to  "...create  good- will  among  its  members,  and  also  to 
instill  into  the  minds  of  the  children  the  meaning  of  a  "Big 
Brother  Act",  and  the  significance  of  the  club  slogan  -  Be 
Somebody's  Big  Brother  or  Sister  Every  Day."  (Edison 
Life,  November  1924,  p.  322)  As  part  of  the  desire  to  have 
members  participate,  Bob  also  began  writing  a  Sunday 
column  in  the  Boston  Herald;  kids  were  asked  an  opinion 
question  of  the  week,  and  the  best  letters  to  him  were 
published  in  the  newspaper.  Imagine  what  a  big  deal  that 
must  have  been  for  a  child  in  the  1920s  -  not  only  being 
listened  to  by  an  adult,  but  having  your  opinion  appear  in 
a  major  newspaper! 

The  Edison  Big  Brother  Club,  as  it  was  called,  often 
reached  out  to  its  young  listeners  Bob  would  have  a  "day" 
for  a  particular  town,  and  elementary  or  junior  high  school 
club  members  from  that  town  were  invited  to  watch  the 
show  as  part  of  the  studio  audience.  And  as  he  had  done  at 
WGI,  Bob  Emery  became  a  roving  ambassador  for  WEEI. 

He  made  appearances  at  various  schools  and 
organizations  that  catered  to  young  people,  such  as  the 
Boy  Scouts;  he  would  sing  and  play  his  ukulele,  and  talk 
to  the  kids  about  up-coming  events  on  his  show,  while 
encouraging  them  to  get  involved  in  charitable  projects  in 
their  community.  Edison,  which  was  a  very  promotion 
minded  company,  helped  him  to  start  a  club  magazine  for 
the  members.  The  company  also  helped  to  arrange  "Big 
Brother  Day"  at  various  locations. 

The  first  of  these  events  was  in  early  July  of  1925,  an 
outing  for  club  members  at  an  amusement  park  in  Newton 
known  as  Norumbega  Park.  It  drew  so  many  young  people 
and  their  parents  that  the  newspapers  ended  up  treating  it 
as  a  news  story  rather  than  relegating  it  to  the  radio  page— 
the  crowd  was  estimated  as  the  largest  in  the  history  of  the 
park,  and  one  of  the  biggest  children's  outings  in  greater 
Boston.  Big  Brother's  drawing  power  and  his  popularity 
among  kids  continued  to  grow.  His  musical  talent  and  his 
ability  to  entertain  kids  earned  him  the  opportunity  to  be 
the  headliner  at  a  show  at  the  B.F.  Keith  theatre  in  the 


summer  of  1926;  soon,  he  was  doing  the  Big  Brother  club 
live  at  various  locations. 

He  had  also  started  his  own  vocal  group,  the  Joy 
Spreaders.  Several  members  of  this  band  had  been 
listeners  of  his,  while  others  were  experienced  young 
musicians  from  the  Boston  area.  Big  Brother  and  the  Joy 
Spreaders  would  become  regular  performers  at  Keith's 
Theatre  over  the  next  several  years,  in  fact.  And  for  those 
who  really  couldn't  get  enough  of  Big  Brother,  in  the  fall 
of  1926,  he  and  his  band  were  asked  to  make  their  first 
record.  They  were  signed  to  the  Brunswick  label,  which 
evidently  felt  our  area  had  a  lot  of  talent  because 
Brunswick  also  signed  several  other  local  radio 
performers,  such  as  WTAG/  Worcester's  singer/announcer 
Chester  Gaylord,  and  Boston-area  bandleader  and  former 
WGI  alumnus  Joe  Rines.  Big  Brother  and  the  Joy 
Spreaders  recorded  the  Big  Brother  Club  theme  song 
(which  included  the  call  letters  of  WEEI)  and  did  a  re- 
enactment  of  a  Big  Brother  Club  meeting,  complete  with 
various  songs  and  poems  and  letters  from  kids. 

The  session  was  called  "Big  Brother's  Brunswick 
Record",  and  although  I  have  never  seen  the  actual  78, 1 
do  know  it  WAS  released.  (If  anyone  has  a  copy,  I  would 
truly  love  to  hear  it!)  The  record  was  sold  in  stores,  and 
also  given  away  as  a  prize  to  club  members.  Bob  would 
also  make  at  least  one  other  record  in  1929  for  Speak-O- 
Phone  Recording  Studios.  That  one,  I  do  have  a  copy  of, 
and  it  is  similar  to  the  first  one  -  a  re-enactment  of  a  show, 
with  songs,  contests,  guests,  etc.  In  1929,  he  was  not  yet 
using  "So  Long  Small  Fry",  but  he  WAS  using  "The  Grass 
is  Always  Greener". 

Thousands  and  thousands  of  kids  from  all  over  the 
eastern  United  States  were  now  members  of  the  Big 
Brother  Club,  and  Edison,  not  wanting  to  miss  an 
opportunity,  encouraged  Bob  to  do  some  very  indirect 
selling  -  some  shows  about  using  home  appliances 
(Edison  appliances,  of  course)  safely.  He  quickly  became 
a  very  credible  spokesperson,  because  kids  trusted  him. 
When  a  store  wanted  somebody  to  appear  at  an  opening  or 
promote  a  new  product  to  kids,  the  management  would 
call  upon  Bob  Emery,  knowing  what  a  following  he  had. 
To  Bob's  credit,  he  did  not  seem  to  take  every  opportunity 
that  came  his  way,  but  he  did  become  a  fairly  frequent 
voice  for  Edison  products,  as  might  be  expected  given 
how  Edison  had  supported  his  show. 

By  1928,  Big  Brother  had  formed  a  radio  drama  group, 
the  "Radio  Rascals",  made  up  of  club  members  who 
enjoyed  performing.  Some  even  wrote  original  plays  or 
skits,  which  he  put  on  the  air.  He  also  made  numerous 
appearances  for  charity  and  encouraged  his  audience  to  do 


The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


their  part  for  their  community.  In  fact,  throughout  the 
remainder  of  the  1920s,  Bob  Emery  continued  to  find  new 
and  interesting  ways  to  teach  yet  still  entertain;  one 
feature  involved  bringing  in  real  people  who  had  unusual 
jobs.  Bob  would  create  a  "you  are  there"  scenario,  and 
through  the  magic  of  radio,  kids  could  be  taken  to  all  sorts 
of  places,  such  as  a  lighthouse  or  an  expedition  to  the 
North  Pole,  and  they  could  pretend  they  were  doing  the 
particular  job  along  with  the  guest. 

On  5  February  1930,  something  unique  occurred  -  the 
Big  Brother  Club  was  televised,  via  the  experimental 
station  W1XAV,  owned  by  Shortwave  and  Television 
Labs  Inc.  While  not  many  people  saw  it,  we  can  safely 
assume  that  the  listeners  of  WEEI  must  have  been 
somewhat  puzzled  when  the  announcer  said  tonight's 
show  was  not  only  being  heard  on  radio  but  was  also 
being  televised.  Bob  Emery  was  certainly  one  of  the  first 
major  radio  personalities  to  do  television,  and  it  would  be 
helpful  to  his  career  later  on. 

In  the  summer  of  1930,  the  opportunity  every  local 
personality  hoped  for  happened  for  him  -  he  was  called  by 
NBC,  which  wanted  him  to  do  a  once  a  week  (Sunday 
night)  children's  show  on  the  network.  For  a  while,  he 
commuted  back  and  forth,  working  at  WEEI  and  also  for 
NBC.  But  by  the  fall,  the  traveling  was  too  much,  and  he 
gave  his  notice  at  Edison,  to  concentrate  on  developing 
new  children's  shows  for  NBC  Red.  However,  he  still 
loved  Boston,  and  by  the  summer  of  1931,  he  had  signed  a 
contract  to  broadcast  the  Big  Brother  Club  over  the 
Yankee  Network;  owner  John  Shepard  3rd  also  made  him 
educational  director  for  the  chain  of  stations. 

I  have  never  been  able  to  find  out  what  caused  Shepard 
and  Big  Brother  to  part  company  -  the  Big  Brother  Club 
was  just  as  popular  a  decade  later  as  it  had  been  when  it 
first  went  on  the  air.  Big  Brother  had  famous  guests,  he 
put  on  state-wide  spelling  bees  where  schools  could  field 
teams  and  compete  for  prizes,  and  of  course,  he  had 
"opportunity  night"  -  this  was  a  weekly  talent  show,  with 
the  winner  having  the  opportunity  to  join  the  supporting 
cast  that  put  on  the  Big  Brother  Club.  Yet,  despite  the 
popularity  of  his  show  and  the  respect  educators  and  the 
Boston  media  had  for  him,  by  mid-1933  he  and  his  wife 
were  back  in  New  York. 

This  time,  Bob  went  to  work  for  WOR,  where  he 
developed  a  highly  successful  children's  show  called 
Rainbow  House;  during  the  early  40s,  it  began  running  on 
the  Mutual  Network.  The  mid-40s  saw  a  renewed  interest 
in  television,  and  the  Dumont  station,  WABD  hired  him  to 
create  a  kids'  program  for  TV.  And  so  it  was  in  1946  that 
the  Small  Fry  Club  was  born.  It  would  run  in  New  York 


till  1950;  interestingly,  when  WNAC-TV,  channel  7,  came 
on  the  air  in  the  summer  of  1948,  it  began  carrying  some 
Dumont  shows,  including  Big  Brother's  Small  Fry  Club.  It 
must  have  brought  back  a  few  memories  for  people  who 
had  grown  up  hearing  him  on  radio,  and  now  here  he  was 
on  TV. 


By  the  early  50s,  Bob  was  trying  to  find  a  way  to  get 
back  to  the  city  he  had  always  loved,  and  finally,  in 
November  of  1952,  he  negotiated  a  contract  with  WBZ- 
TV  and  returned  to  Boston  at  last.  The  remainder  of  his 
TV  career  would  take  place  at  WBZ-TV.  Although  by 
now  he  was  much  older,  to  a  new  generation  of  kids,  he 
was  the  kindly  and  informative  man  who  kept  them 
entertained  while  teaching  them  new  things—  he  was  very 
proud  of  all  the  kids  he  taught  the  Pledge  of  Allegience, 
for  example.  Bob  had  always  liked  working  with  young 
people,  but  there  is  a  certain  story  -  attributed  to  Uncle 
Don,  Big  Brother,  and  various  other  hosts  of  children's 
shows  -  that  claims  he  allegedly  called  the  kids  "little 
bastards"  one  day  while  not  realising  the  mike  was  still 
open.  I  can  assure  you  that  this  story  is  an  urban  legend. 
There  is  absolutely  no  evidence  that  Big  Brother  ever  did 
such  a  thing,  yet  the  story  has  circulated  for  years. 

1963 

While  handling  a  studio  audience  of  kids  was  probably 
no  easy  task,  people  I  know  who  worked  with  him  say  he 
was  a  professional  and  knew  how  to  run  his  show;  he  took 
great  pride  in  his  ability  to  relate  to  kids.  (When 
WGI7AMRAD  held  a  reunion  in  1964,  Bob  was  there,  and 
said  something  very  interesting  -  various  of  the  AMRAD 
folks  were  lamenting  how  awful  rock  and  roll  was  and 
how  radio  had  deteriorated  and  how  kids  these  days  were 
uncontrollable.  But  Bob  refused  to  agree.  He  said  he  liked 
some  of  the  rock  music  -  he  especially  enjoyed  the  Beatles 
-  and  said  that  kids  today  were  no  worse  than  kids  of  any 


The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


8 


other  generation,  if  you  didn't  talk  down  to  them  and  if 
you  let  them  know  what  you  expected  of  them.  Given  how 
bitter  some  of  the  old  WGI  announcers  had  become  about 
what  had  happened  to  radio  over  the  years,  it  was 
refreshing  to  hear  somebody  in  his  60s  saying  positive 
things  about  the  music  and  about  the  kids.  While  I  am  sure 
he  had  bad  days  like  everyone  else,  Bob  Emery  never 
stopped  believing  in  the  fact  that  kids  COULD  be  reached 
with  intelligent  children's  programming,  and  he  continued 
to  provide  it.) 

Big  Brother,  even  in  his  60s,  was  a  tireless  fundraiser. 
When  he  went  back  on  the  air  at  Channel  4,  he 
immediately  aligned  himself  with  various  charities. 
During  one  campaign,  he  encouraged  his  young  viewers  to 
send  in  their  pennies,  nickels  and  dimes  to  help  the  Jimmy 
Fund,  and  the  kids  responded  with  nearly  $1 1,000.  This 
was  actually  very  typical  of  what  Bob  could  do.  He  made 
kids  aware  of  those  children  who  were  less  fortunate,  and 
then  created  opportunities  for  his  audience  to  help.  And,  to 
teach  responsibility,  he  asked  kids  to  EARN  the  money 
they  were  donating  -  by  doing  chores  or  baby-sitting  or 
working  around  their  neighborhood. 

When  storms  and  tornadoes  devastated  central 
Massachusetts  in  mid  1953,  the  members  of  the  Small  Fry 
Club  helped  him  raise  $18,000;  the  money  went  directly 
to  agencies  helping  children  whose  families  had  lost  their 
homes  and  their  possessions.  And  as  he  had  done  during 
his  radio  days,  Bob  was  also  a  frequent  visitor  to 
Children's  Hospital,  where  he  sang  for  the  kids  and 
entertained  them.  And  he  continued  making  appearances 
at  venues  all  over  eastern  Massachusetts  -  for  example,  I 
have  a  clipping  from  May  of  1958  that  announces  his  visit 
to  the  "Kiddie  Ranch"  on  route  1  in  Saugus,  and  another 
from  the  spring  of  1957  announcing  a  traffic  safety 
campaign  that  was  taking  him  to  various  schools  in  greater 
Boston.  The  idea  of  doing  a  good  deed  -  Be  Someone's 
Big  Brother  or  Sister  Every  Day  -  was  one  he  never 
abandoned. 

In  the  1960s,  WBZ  began  moving  his  show  around, 
changing  its  day  and  time,  shortening  it,  changing  its 
name...  Clubhouse  4,  Big  Brother  and  Flash,  Big 
Brother's  World...  and  finally  limiting  it  to  one  day  a  week 
and  asking  him  to  tape  it.  While  Bob  did  not  feel  that  he 
was  "too  old"  or  out  of  touch  with  the  audience,  a  number 
of  the  older  announcers  and  performers  were  being 
encouraged  to  retire,  as  TV  continued  to  change. 

Finally,  in  early  January  of  1968,  Bob  did  in  fact  retire, 
at  the  age  of  70.  Some  of  the  surviving  members  of  the 
Joy  Spreaders  were  at  his  retirement  party.  To  this  day, 
many  of  us  who  grew  up  watching  him  have  not  forgotten 


1968  -  Bob  Emery  is  on  the  far  right 
(photo:  WBZ-TV  and  Perry  Lipson) 

him.  After  he  retired,  he  was  still  asked  to  make  some 
personal  appearances  for  charity,  and  he  did.  But  he  also 
had  time  to  enjoy  his  hobbies  -  he  liked  to  cook,  he  played 
golf,  he  did  some  acting  in  theatrical  productions. 

He  and  Katherine,  his  wife  of  43  years  were  very  close 
(she  had  produced  some  of  his  TV  shows,  in  fact);  they 
also  had  four  grandchildren.  Yet,  although  he  seemed 
content  that  he  no  longer  had  the  pressure  of  a  daily 
performance,  it  still  seems  to  me  (based  on  interviews  I 
have  read  from  that  time  period)  that,  given  his  choice,  he 
would  have  remained  on  the  air  in  some  capacity. 
Ultimately,  it  was  a  stroke  that  slowed  him  down;  he  died 
in  July  of  1982,  at  the  age  of  85. 

I  know  of  few  performers  whose  careers  ran  from  the 
era  of  crystal  sets  all  the  way  to  the  era  of  satellites.  The 
world  changed  so  much,  and  so  did  the  types  of 
programming  for  kids.  Yet  Big  Brother  Bob  Emery  kept 
re-inventing  himself  decade  after  decade,  appealing  to 
entirely  new  generations  of  "small  fry".  I  don't  know  if  his 
style  would  work  for  today's  kids  -  he  certainly  came  from 
a  more  innocent,  less  contentious  time.  But  then,  I  am  sure 
he  would  say  that  some  things  are  timeless,  and  if  a  show 
is  honest  and  interesting,  if  it  provides  kids  with  a  chance 
to  get  involved  in  a  positive  way,  it  will  work  no  matter 
what  year  it  is.  I  don't  know  if  our  post-literate  society  of 
video  games  and  South  Park  has  room  for  somebody  like 
Big  Brother,  but  I  am  certainly  glad  I  was  around  in  those 
formative  years  of  TV,  and  I  wish  I  could  have  heard  him 
on  the  radio.  Rest  in  peace,  Big  Brother  -  and  thanks! ! ! 

-  Donna  Halper  is  a  lecturer  and  broadcast  consultant 
based  in  Quincy,  MA.  Her  love  of  radio  history  is  evident 
in  the  way  she  captures  the  essence  of  her  subjects. 


The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


1945  Woman's  Magazine  Featured 
Ads  Dominated  by  Emphasis  on 
WWII 

Bob  Cox 

I  recently  examined  the  contents  of  an  April  1945 
"Woman's  Day"  magazine  that  carried  a  price  tag  of  two 
cents.  I  was  three  years  old  when  this  publication  hit  the 
local  magazine  stands. 


What  impressed  me  the  most  was  the  emphasis  of  World 
War  II  on  advertisements  and  sacrifices  made  during  the 
bitter  conflict.  For  example: 

Red  Goose  Shoes:  "Help  Uncle  Sam  save  leather.  Buy 
boys'  and  girls'  shoes  that  wear  longer.  Invest  in  war 
bonds  regularly." 

Texcel  Tape:  "Today  most  Texcel  Tape  that's  made  is 
being  used  for  war.  Buy  bonds  and  stamps  until  victory 
returns  to  your  store." 

Oakite  Cleanser:  "Buy  war  bonds  and  stamps. 

Johnson's  Glo-Coat  Floor  Polisher:  "Fibber  McGee  and 
Molly  say,  'Nurses  are  needed.  All  women  can  help.  See 
the  Red  Cross  or  write  the  Surgeon  General,  U.S.  Army, 
Washington,  D.C" 

SweetHeart  Toilet  Soap:  "Don't  waste  soap.  It  contains 
materials  vital  to  the  war  effort." 

McCormick  &  Co.:  "Serving  the  Armed  Forces 


throughout  the  world." 

The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


Swift's  Allsweet  Vegetable  Oleomargine:  "Your  first 
duty  to  your  country  -  Buy  war  bonds." 

Waldorf  Tissue:  "The  more  war  bonds  you  buy,  the 
shorter  the  war." 

Beech-Nut  Gum:  "Until  final  victory,  you  may  not 
always  find  this  delicious  gum  at  your  (store).  Our 
fighting  men  are  now  getting  most  of  it." 

Fletcher's  Castoria  (The  Laxative  made  especially  for 
children):  The  ad  title  was  "I  became  an  Army  Nurse  and 
solved  a  Navy  Problem."  The  problem  was  that  her 
brother,  a  sailor,  and  his  wife  had  a  baby  boy  suffering 
from  irregularity.  The  quandary  was  quickly  eradicated 
with  a  bottle  of  Fletcher's  Castoria. 

Speed  Queen's  washing  machine  ad  revealed  the 
scarcity  of  appliances  during  the  war.  It  showed  a 
housewife  running  toward  her  husband  and  joyfully 
proclaiming,  "I've  got  a  priority.  I  stopped  at  Jones 
Appliance  today  and  made  arrangements  to  get  one  of  the 
first  Speed  Queen  washers  they  get  in  (after  the  war).  All  I 
had  to  do  was  register  in  a  little  book.  We  will  be  notified 
when  the  first  shipment  arrives." 

Balanced  Pacific  Sheets  gave  a  lengthy  plea:  "Let's 
pitch  in  and  give  the  boys  what  they  need  to  finish  this 
war  and  give  it  in  lavish  abundance.  Take  a  war  job  or 
hang  on  the  one  you  have.  Buy  bonds  . . .  more  and  more 
and  still  more.  Conserve  your  worldly  goods:  mend  that 
old  sheet;  don't  throw  it  away.  And  when  at  last  you  must 
buy  replacements,  let  them  be  (of  course)  superb  Pacific 
Balanced  Sheets." 

An  article  titled  "My  Country  "Twas  of  Thee"  warns 
returning  servicemen  that  things  would  not  be  as  they  left 
them  and  they  too  must  sacrifice  until  supplies  catch  up 
with  demand. 

Another  article,  "The  High  School  Crowd  Lends  a 
Hand,"  describes  how  volunteers  were  serving  in  the 
Junior  Division  of  The  American  Women's  Hospitals 
Reserve  Corps  at  Jamaica  Hospital  in  Long  Island,  NY. 
The  ladies  worked  one  half  day  each  week  performing  a 
variety  of  helpful  tasks. 

A  notice  on  one  page  said:  "The  wartime  burden  on 
transportation  facilities  may  cause  delays  in  shipment  of 
Woman's  Day  Magazine  to  some  stores.  We  regret  any 
inconvenience  you  may  be  caused  and  ask  that  you  not  to 
blame  your  store  manager." 

Another  advertisement  titled  "Carry  Victory  in  Your 
Basket"  suggested  numerous  helpful  hints  for  reducing 
paper  needs:  "Every  time  you  go  to  the  store  and  carry 
your  purchases  home  unwrapped,  you  help  bring  victory 
so  much  nearer.  Take  along  a  basket,  box,  shopping  bag  or 
some  permanent  container  that  is  roomy  enough  to  carry 

10 


your  purchase  home." 

The  ad  asserted  how  paper  was  used  to  wrap  and 
protect  more  than  700,000  different  war  items  including 
shell  containers,  bomb  rings,  parachutes,  flares,  blood 
plasma,  vests  and  V-Mail  envelopes.  It  ended  with  the 
words:  "Remember  -  Paper  is  War  Power." 

(This  article  was  first  published  in  the  Johnson  City 
(Tenn)  Press  on  June  26,  2008,  and  is  reprinted  with  their 
kind  permission  and  that  of  the  author). 


Wistful  Vistas 

Ryan  Ellett 

Thanks  for  tuning  in  again,  radio  nostalgia  buffs. 
We've  got  a  e-mag  full  of  reading  for  you  this  month, 
including  a  lead  piece  by  new  contributor  Thomas  Honsa, 
a  history  professor  in  Florida.  A  special  tip  of  the  hat  to 
Bret  Jones  who  has  been  waiting  patiently  for  some  time 
to  see  his  Dark  Fantasy  article  hit  the  newsstand.  We 
always  try  to  publish  contributions  in  a  timely  manner,  but 
sometimes  the  decision  is  made  to  hold  back  a  specific 
piece  a  month,  or  two,  or  three  to  make  sure  we  can  give  it 
prominence  toward  the  front  of  an  issue. 

Donna  Halper,  as  we've  come  to  expect,  pokes  and 
prods  into  the  long-neglected  nether  regions  of  very  early 
20s  era  commercial  radio.  Her  findings  are  nothing  that 
you'll  find  cruising  the  internet  or  in  any  old  time  radio 
books.  She  digs  into  the  dustiest  corners  to  unearth 
nuggets  of  radio  history.  On  a  similar  note  Barry 
Mishkind  digs  back  even  further,  exploring  the 
contributions  of  Charles  Herrold,  an  overlooked  pioneer  in 
very  early  radio. 

Bob  Cox,  Ned  Norris,  and  Doug  Stivers  return  with 
new  installments  about  general  nostalgia  and  ways  to 
enhance  your  enjoyment  of  the  OTR  hobby. 

Last  but  not  least,  we  continue  reprinting  Tom 
Goatee's  series  on  the  history  of  legendary  Chicago 
station  WMAQ. 

We  don't  publicize  it  much,  but  I  turned  my  old  OTR- 
themed  blog  over  to  the  OTRR  to  use  as  an  alternative 
way  to  distribute  the  contents  of  the  Old  Radio  Times.  I 
attempt  to  update  it  daily,  spreading  the  monthly  content 
of  the  Times  over  daily  installments.  Because  of  the  way 
scheduling  goes,  you'll  begin  to  see  material  from  the 
upcoming  issue  posted  there  before  the  issue  is  actually 
completed  and  sent  to  subscribers.  If  you  want  to  check  in 
on  this  new  feature,  visit  http://wistfulvistas.blogspot.com/ 

Don't  let  the  OTR  convention  in  Cincinnati  sneak  up 
on  you.  It's  less  than  two  months  away  so  make  plans  now 
if  you  haven't  already.  Honorary  non-member  Doug 
Hopkinson  will  be  doing  a  presentation  on  a  long- 
forgotten  series.  He's  acquired  a  good  many  episodes  and 
is  doing  some  first-class  research  on  the  series' 
background. 

Happy  listening  and  good  health  to  all! 


The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


11 


Charles  Herrold:  A  Father  of 
Broadcasting 

Barry  Mishkind 

Long  before  anyone  even  thought  about  the  question  of 
who  was  the  first  broadcaster,  a  long  list  of  young  men 
around  the  world  were  experimenting  with  the  new 
technology  that  Marconi  had  brought  forth,  the  wireless 
transmitter. 

Fessenden,  De  Forest,  Tesla,  Hertz,  Edison,  Conrad, 
Herrold,  Stubblefield,  and  many  more  were  out  there. 
When  the  Department  of  Commerce  began  issuing 
licenses  in  1911,  a  number  of  amateurs  applied  for 
licenses  to  cover  their  experimental  stations  constructed 
over  the  previous  five  or  six  years.  (By  the  way,  the  first 
license  was  issued  to  George  Lewis  of  Cincinnati,  OH.) 
In  the  main,  Marconi,  Fessenden,  Hertz,  Edison,  even  De 
Forest,  came  to  be  better  known  as  scientists  and 
inventors,  rather  than  broadcasters.  And,  while  KDKA 
truly  has  its  place  in  history  as  the  earliest  of  licensees 
with  the  word  "commercial"  attached  (even  though 
commercials  as  we  know  them,  were  still  several  years 
off),  several  stations  trace  their  history  before  November 
1920,  and  even  before  KDKA's  predecessor  8XK. 
Hence,  trying  to  specify  "The  Father  of  Broadcasting" 
may  not  be  a  reasonable  assignment.  For  example,  what 
about  Charles  D.  Herrold? 

Charles  "Doc"  Herrold 

A  decade  before  Frank  Conrad  built  the  radio  station 
that  would  become  KDKA  as  part  of  a  bet  on  the  accuracy 
of  his  watch,  Charles  Herrold  was  experimenting  in  San 
Francisco.  But  it  was  the  initiation  of  voice  transmissions 
from  his  "Herrold  College  of  Wireless  and  Engineering" 
at  San  Jose,  CA  in  1909  that  made  Charles  "Doc"  Herrold 
a  true  pioneer. 

Herrold  was  born  November  16,  1875  in  Illinois.  His 
father  was  both  a  farmer  and  inventor.  With  this  sort  of 
example,  it  was  natural  that  Charles  was  also  keenly 
interested  in  science  and  mechanics.  Like  his  father,  he 
was  an  inventor,  developing  new  products  in  many  fields, 
including  dentistry  and  surgery,  photography,  and  music. 

As  part  of  his  early  love  of  astronomy,  he  invented  a 
clock  driven  telescope.  However,  it  was  the  loss  of  his 
school's  only  astronomy  professor  that  caused  him  to 
move  to  physics,  and  electricity  and  the  wireless  took  over 
his  life. 

Eventually  Herrold  built  a  15  watt  spark  gap 
transmitter.  He  wanted  more,  however,  than  just 


Broadcasting's 
Forgotten 
Father 


'I 'he 

Charles  licrrdkl 
Utea^  Stor> 


telegraphy.  He  wanted  to  transmit  voice  information.  A 
carbon  microphone  was  connected  in  series  with  the  B+ 
high  voltage  supply  to  the  spark  transmitter.  As  much  as 
50  watts  of  output  power  could  be  developed  this  way. 
Early  listeners  begain  to  hear  "This  is  the  Herrold  Station" 
or  "San  Jose  Calling".  The  call  letters  "FN"  were  adopted 
for  a  while,  as  were  6XE,  6XF  and  SJN. 

However,  transmission  time  was  curtailed  by  the  need 
to  replace  the  carbon  element  every  one  or  two  hours. 
Improvements  were  made,  leading  to  the  invention  of  the 
"Arc  Fone."  The  Arc  Fone  was  essentially  six  arc  lights  in 
series  which  developed  a  high  frequency  arc  carrier  upon 
which  voice  could  be  carried.  At  first,  the  necessary  500 
volts  was  tapped  from  the  streetcar  lines.  A  special  water 
cooled  microphone  had  to  be  built  to  prevent  it  from 
burning  out.  The  Arc  Fone  was  patented  on  December  21, 
1915. 

In  the  meantime,  Herrold  had  decided  one  of  the  best 
uses  for  his  invention  was  to  feed  the  interest  of 
experimenters  with  regular  programs  that  would  publicize 
his  College.  He  set  up  a  listening  room  with  chairs  and  24 
sets  of  receivers  at  a  local  furniture  store.  Later  he  would 
set  up  another  transmitter  at  the  Fairmont  Hotel  in  San 
Francisco,  becoming  a  pioneer  "two  way"  broadcaster  in 
1912. 

Broadcasting? 

It  may  well  be  that  the  weekly  "Little  Ham  Program," 
sent  out  every  Wednesday  evening  at  9PM  qualifies  as 
the  start  of  broadcasting,  at  least  by  the  definition  Herrold 
himself  used.  As  the  son  of  a  farmer,  the  concept  of 
"broadcasting"  seed  was  well  known  to  Herrold.  He 


The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


12 


claimed  to  have  been  the  first  to  adapt  the  term  to  the 
wireless,  and  particularly  in  relation  to  regularly  scheduled 
entertainment  programs. 

The  disk  jockey  on  Herrold's  station  was  noteworthy: 
the  first  woman  to  broadcast  was  his  wife,  Sybil.  Playing 
records  provided  by  the  Sherman  Clay  music  store,  the 
Herrold's  likely  developed  the  first  "trade-out!"  Listeners 
from  as  far  away  as  900  miles  called  to  request  records 
during  the  program.  Among  the  other  techniques  used  by 
Herrold  to  cultivate  interest  in  his  station  were  weekly 
prizes  awarded  to  regular  listeners. 

Aside  from  ads  for  his  College  and  the  trade-out  ads 
for  the  records  from  Sherman  Clay,  Herrold  had  no 
commercials  as  we  know  them.  However,  he  apparently 
had  some  ideas,  and  wrote  the  Department  of  Commerce 
to  ask  about  using  the  station  for  paid  advertising.  It  is 
reported  the  response  was  "Under  the  laws  we  can  find 
nothing  by  which  we  can  prevent  your  selling 
merchandise  over  the  air,  but  by  the  Lord  Harry  we  hope 
that  somebody  does." 

By  1915,  Herrold's  station  SJN  was  well  known 
throughout  the  region  by  amateur  radio  enthusiasts.  But  it 
was  during  the  World's  Fair  of  that  year  that  the  new 
medium  was  given  a  real  stress  test.  Lee  de  Forest  had  set 
up  a  transmitter  and  receiver  at  the  Fair,  but  the 
transmitter  failed  to  operate.  The  upshot?  Herrold's  Arc 
Fone  transmitted  from  San  Jose  to  the  fairgrounds,  some 
50  miles,  eight  hours  a  day  during  the  Fair. 

The  demonstration  amazed  the  people,  who  listened  to 
news  about  the  Fair  and  music.  We  today  can  only 
imagine  what  it  was  like:  one  of  Herrold's  associates 
reported  that  people  who  came  into  the  booth  would  often 
start  looking  under  the  table,  or  in  the  back.  They  just  did 
not  believe  the  voices  and  music  were  coming  from  50 
miles  away! 


and  the  station  is  known  today  as  KCBS,  San  Francisco.) 
Unfortunately,  Herrold  had  a  hard  time  keeping  his  station 
going  into  the  1920s,  and  his  dream  began  to  unravel  as  he 
was  forced  to  sell  KQW  in  1925.  Sadly,  the  "handshake" 
arrangement  he  had  with  the  1st  Baptist  Church  broke 
down  and  he  was  soon  fired  as  the  station  engineer. 

Over  the  years,  Herrold  tried  various  ways  to  stay  near 
broadcasting.  He  was  one  of  the  first  time  brokers,  buying 
time  from  stations,  and  then  re-selling  it  to  others.  An 
effort  to  establish  himself  as  The  Father  of  Broadcasting 
failed  to  attract  much  attention  from  the  broadcast 
community.  The  last  years  of  his  life  were  largely  marked 
by  a  string  of  menial  jobs,  such  as  a  security  guard.  A 
saddened  Charles  Herrold  died  at  73  on  July  1,  1948. 
Was  Charles  "Doc"  Herrold  The  Father  of  Broadcasting? 
Possibly.  What  is  certain  is  that  he  was  A  Father  of 
Broadcasting. 

More  information  is  available  at 
http://www.charlesherrold.org 

[A  plea:  if  you  or  your  station  has  a  written  history,  or 
any  information  on  the  roots  of  broadcasting,  please  share 
them  with  me.  I  would  appreciate  anything  that  would 
illuminate  the  pioneer  stations  and  the  men  who  built 
them.  Books,  newspaper  clippings,  old  licenses,  ratecards, 
EKKO  stamps,  radio  guides,  even  photocopies  are  of 
benefit.  Send  them  to  Barry  Mishkind,  2033  S.  Augusta 
Place,  Tucson,  AZ  85710. 

Barry  Mishkind,  aka  RWs  "Eclectic  Engineer,"  can  be 
reached  at  520-296-3797,  via  the  Internet.  You  can  find 
his  home  page  at  http://www.broadcast.net/~barry/ 


Recognition  elusive 

So,  with  all  this  background,  why  is  it  that  many  books 
and  historians  ignore  "Doc"  Herrold  and  his 
achievements?  Perhaps  it  was  just  a  matter  of  timing.  In 
April  1917,  all  non-governmental  broadcasting  was 
ordered  off  the  air  for  the  duration  of  the  war.  During  that 
time,  all  radio  patents  were  "pooled"  in  order  to  provide 
the  best  radios  for  the  military.  Electronic  advances  tied  to 
De  Forest's  Audion  tubes  and  others  made  the  mechanical 
Arc  Fone  obsolete. 

After  the  war,  Herrold  had  to  rebuild  his  station  to 
conform  with  the  new  standard  of  broadcasting.  In  1921, 
the  Department  of  Commerce  assigned  KQW  as  the 
station  identification.  (The  last  change  in  calls  was  in  1949 

The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009 


SUPERMAN 


I  S  O  N 

ther  ADIO! 


CD 


SPONSORED      BY  THE 

MAKERS      OP  FORCE 

OVER  THE  FOLLOWING  STATIONS. 

Monday,  Wednesday, 

WBZA    SfwingfieU  5:00-5:15 

and  Friday 

KHJ       L»  Anfidc*  &00-&I5 

WOR      New  tuA  .  .6:<I5-7;<X) 

WOL      WfahinKhm  5:10-5:45 

WHAM  Rwhattr  . .  Jk  \MO0 

WFBR    BdliinuK  .  .5::«i-5:45 

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Dt&datf,  Thursday, 

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and  Satarday 

WJAR     fawiifence   f>:l  5-6:30 

WFBL    Synouw  ...&I5-&30 

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IK  THK  SUI'KKMAN  PROGRAM  IS  NOT  BHOAIHIAST  l\  WKJR  IDCAIJTY,  WKITK  XH'lt 
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Number  39 


13 


5  Steps  to  Enjoying  Your  Audio 
Anywhere  in  Your  House 

Ned  Norris 

Imagine  ... 

You're  lying  on  your  favorite  sun  lounger  in  your 
garden. 

There  isn't  a  cloud  in  the  sky. 

You  can  feel  the  sun's  rays  on  your  skin  and  there  is  a 
gentle  breeze  blowing  through  your  hair. 

There  is  a  wooden  table  to  your  right.  On  the  table  is  a 
tall  glass.  Inside  the  glass  is  your  favorite  ice-cool  drink. 
Next  to  the  glass  is  a  radio.  From  the  radio  you  can  hear 
your  favorite  music,  old  time  radio  shows,  audiobooks,  or 
whatever  it  is  that  tickles  your  fancy.  When  whatever  you 
are  listening  to  finishes  another  one  of  your  favorites  will 
start  without  you  ever  having  to  move  a  muscle. 

Life  is  good! 

Okay,  you  can  stop  imagining  now  and  get  back  down 
to  reality.  The  reason  for  me  wanting  you  to  imagine  that 
scenario  is  I  wanted  you  to  feel  just  how  good  it  is  having 
a  little  gadget  called  an  FM  transmitter.  Some  of  you 
reading  this  will  know  what  I'm  talking  about,  but  for 
those  who  don't  let  me  explain. 

An  FM  transmitter  is  a  rather  clever  gadget  that  allows 
you  to  transmit  sound  directly  from  your  computer  to  any 
radio  in  your  house.  It's  completely  wireless  and  works 
just  like  a  normal  radio  station,  but  on  a  much  smaller 
scale. 

Here's  what  happens.  It's  really  easy. 

Step  1  -  You  plug  the  device  into  your  sound  card. 

Step  2  -  You  select  a  frequency  on  the  device  that  you 
want  to  broadcast  at.  For  example  you  might  select  92.5 
FM. 

Step  3  -  You  pick  a  radio  show  you'd  like  to  listen  to 
and  start  it  playing  on  your  computer. 

Step  4  -  You  go  to  any  FM  radio  in  your  house  and 
tune  it  in  to  92.5  FM. 

Step  5  -  You  sit  down  and  enjoy 

The  radio  needs  to  be  within  a  certain  range,  which  will 
vary  between  50  feet  and  300  feet  depending  on  the 
strength  of  the  FM  transmitter  you  are  using  and  the 
number  of  walls  and  other  obstructions  the  signal  need  to 
pass  through  to  get  to  you. 

The  wonderful  thing  about  FM  transmitters  is  it  allows 
you  to  listen  to  all  the  MP3  files  you  have  stored  on  your 
computer  or  one  of  the  online  music  services,  whilst  at  the 
same  time  giving  you  the  freedom  to  move  around  your 
house. 

Luckily,  the  price  of  FM  transmitters  has  dropped  over 


the  past  few  years  and  you  should  be  able  to  pick  up  a 
decent  FM  transmitter  that  will  work  throughout  a  typical 
house  for  less  than  $100. 

There  are  a  few  things  worth  looking  out  for  when 
deciding  which  FM  transmitter  to  buy.  Most  important  of 
all  is  the  distance  the  signal  covers.  If  you  live  in  a  tiny 
apartment  there's  no  need  to  spend  the  extra  money  on  a 
powerful  unit  that  will  transmit  1000  feet,  unless  of  course 
you  want  the  whole  neighborhood  to  be  able  to  tune  in  to 
your  broadcast.  On  the  other  hand,  don't  buy  one  that  will 
only  transmit  10  feet  if  you  want  to  listen  at  the  bottom  of 
the  garden  which  is  150  feet  from  your  computer. 

A  second  thing  to  look  out  for  is  a  digital  display. 
Some  units  have  no  digital  display  telling  you  what 
frequency  you  are  tuned  into  and  require  you  to  turn  a 
screw  on  the  back  to  adjust  the  frequency.  This  can  be 
quite  time  consuming  as  it  requires  quite  a  bit  of 
experimentation.  The  end  result  is  exactly  the  same,  but 
with  a  digital  display  it  is  easy  to  set  the  FM  transmitter  to 
a  specific  frequency  by  reading  the  numbers  on  the 
display  and  then  set  the  radio  to  exactly  the  same 
frequency. 

Lastly,  some  units  run  on  batteries  whereas  others  will 
run  from  a  power  supply.  If  the  unit  you  buy  runs  off 
batteries  make  sure  that  it  has  an  auto-off  facility  that  will 
allow  you  to  set  a  period  after  which  the  unit  will 
automatically  turn  itself  off.  If  you  don't  have  this  you'll 
find  yourself  wasting  a  lot  of  batteries. 

FM  transmitters  are  ideal  for  transmitting  around  your 
house,  but  the  same  technology  can  also  provide  an  ideal 
way  of  listening  to  your  MP3  player  in  your  car  without 
having  to  invest  in  an  in-car  MP3  unit.  Just  plug  a  battery 
powered  FM  transmitter  into  your  MP3  player  and  then 
tune  your  car  stereo  into  the  same  frequency. 

So,  now  you  know  just  how  easy  it  is  to  set-up  your 
very  own  micro  radio  station  for  your  very  own  listening 
pleasure.  Whether  you're  a  music  fan,  an  audiobook  lover, 
or  an  old  time  radio  aficionado,  this  is  one  little  gadget 
that  can  really  add  to  the  overall  enjoyment. 

Ned  Norris  is  the  webmaster  of  www.rusc.com. 


The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


14 


The  History  of  WMAQ  Radio 
Chapter  3 

Tom  Gootee 


A  De  Forest  marine  transmitter,  of  questionable  age,  was 
acquired  and  adapted  for  voice  transmission.  As  a 
functioning  piece  of  equipment  it  left  much  to  be  desired— 
-but  it  was  the  only  kind  of  radio  equipment  available  and, 
as  such,  it  served  its  purpose.  One  tube,  type  unknown  but 
of  De  Forest  make,  comprised  the  entire  tube  complement. 
It  was  rated  at  250  watts  input,  which  probably  accounted 
for  the  optimistic  accounts  of  250  watts  for  the  entire 
transmitter.  Actually  only  about  100  watts  was  fed  to  the 
antenna,  a  quantity  which  could  only  be  estimated.  The 
single  tube  was  modulated  by  means  of  a  transformer 
inserted  into  the  grid  circuit;  the  primary  being  coupled  to 
a  small  telephone  transmitter  mounted  on  the  end  of  an 
insulated  handle.  The  insulation  was  necessary  because 
part  of  the  transmitter  was  ""hot""  with  radio  frequency 
energy,  which  fed  back  into  the  grid  circuit. 
The  antenna  was  a  typical  ship  installation,  mounted  on 
the  roof  of  the  Fair  Building.  It  was  a  four-wire  flat  top 
suspended  between  the  top  of  the  water  tank  at  the  east 
end  of  the  building  and  a  brick  chimney  at  the  west  end  of 
the  building. 

The  transmitter  was  installed  on  the  fourth  floor  of  the 
Fair  Building  and  the  studio  was  located  directly  under  it, 
on  the  floor  below.  The  station  was  assigned  the  call 
""WGU,  and  licensed  to  operate  on  the  common 
frequency  of  360  meters  (833  kilocycles).  This 
measurement  could  only  be  approximated,  as  the  only 
frequency  meters  that  were  then  available  consisted  of  a 
coil  of  wire,  a  condenser  and  a  thermo-millameter 
calibrated  against  the  Federal  Radio  Inspector"  s  wave- 
meter. 

A  trial  program— actually  the  first  broadcast— was  put  on 
the  air  the  afternoon  of  April  12th,  from  4:30  to  5:45  p.m., 
and  all  the  equipment  was  checked  and  tested  for  the 
grand  opening  of  WGU  the  following  evening. 
The  first  formal  broadcast  was  put  on  the  air  the  night  of 
April  13thm  1922.  It  consisted  of  a  musical  program 
lasting  about  thirty  minutes,  from  7:00  to  7:30  p.m.,  and 
featured  Sophie  Braslau,  Leon  Sametini  and  a  few  other 
Chicago  artists  and  musicians.  The  program  was  directed 
and  announced  by  Miss  Judith  Waller,  a  name  destined  to 
be  synonymous  with  the  Daily  News  station  for  many 
years  to  come. 

There  hal  always  been  a  question  as  to  whether  anyone 
actually  hears  that  initial  program  from  WGU.  With  the 

The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009 


large  building  surrounding  the  decidedly  inefficient 
transmitter  and  antenna,  it  was  a  miracle  if  the  360  meter 
signal  ever  crossed  State  Street.  In  fact,  the  program  was 
not  only  the  first  broadcast,  but  also  the  last  broadcast 
using  the  venerable  De  Forest  transmitter.  WGU  was 
closed  down  the  next  day,  and  negotiations  were  soon 
begun  to  acquire  newer  and  finer  equipment,  built 
especially  for  radio  broadcasting.  In  spite  of  difficulties, 
there  were  a  few  optimistic  persons  at  the  new  station  who 
firmly  believed  in  the  possibilities  of  radio.  Particularly, 
they  were  Miss  Judith  Waller  and  the  Radio  Editor  of  the 
Daily  News,  William  Hedges.  And  with  their  help,  the 
idea  of  continuing  the  station  did  not  die  down  with  the 
closing  of  WGU.  The  Daily  News  made  arrangements  to 
broadcast  news  bulletins  and  feature  programs  over  the 
more  successful  KYW  station,  and  an  order  was 
immediately  placed  with  the  Western  Electric  Company 
for  new  equipment. 

But  manufacturing  processes  were  slow  in  1922,  due 
mainly  to  the  increased  demand  for  radio  equipment,  and 
it  was  several  months  until  a  new  500  watt  transmitter  was 
delivered  to  the  station  atop  the  Fair  Building. 
In  the  meantime,  other  new  stations  came  to  Chicago.  In 
May,  1922,  a  station  was  opened  in  the  Palmer  House 
using  the  call  ""WAAF"".  Early  in  June,  WDAP  began 
operation  in  the  Wrigley  Building,  and  later  in  the  same 
month  Walter  a  Kuehl"s  WQX  went  on  the  air.  Other 
stations  had  applied  for  licenses  to  go  on  the  air  that  fall, 
and  the  problem  of  allocating  so  many  stations  on  two 
single  wavelengths  became  an  impossible  feat.  Finally,  the 
Department  of  Commerce,  under  Secretary  Herbert 
Hoover,  reorganized  the  entire  broadcast  band.  New  and 
separate  channels  were  set  aside  for  different  classes  of 
stations,  according  to  the  operating  power  and  according 
to  geographical  location.  The  old  360  meter  channel  had  at 
last  ceased  to  exist  as  a  catch-as-catch-can  boiling  pot  for 
all  stations  and  this  meant  that  a  new  frequency  would 


have  to  be  assigned  to  the  Fair-News  station  when  it  again 
went  on  the  air. 

This  article  was  originally  published  at 
http://www.  richsamuels.  com/nbcmm/wmaq/liistory/  and 
reprinted  here  by  permission. 


Number  39 


15 


Confessions  of  an  Old  Time  Radio 
Fanatic 

Doug  Stivers 

I  just  wanted  to  pass  on  how  much  of  a  60  year  old 
OTR  nut  I  am.  I've  wired  my  house  so  that  every  room  has 
an  internet  connection  in  it,  two  in  the  living  room.  I  have 
the  following  pieces  of  equipment  for  listening  to  old  time 
radio: 

1.  D-Link  Xtreme  N  Gigabit  Router  (DIR-655)  hard  wired 
to  every  room  in  the  house. 

2.  2  each  D-Link  Media  Lounge  Wireless  Media  Players 
(DSM-320)  connected  to  my  network.  ($150  each). 

3.  2  each  6"  B&W  tv's.  ($29  each).  The  image  of  what 
show  is  playing  tends  to  burn  in  to  the  CRT. 

4.  2  each  fake  old  time  radios  with  an  auxiliary  input  in 
the  rear.  ($30-$50  each) 

5.  Twonky  Vision  UPnP  media  server  software  from 
Pocket  Video  Corp  ($48). 

6.  USB  hard  drive  full  of  OTR  shows  listed  in  folders  by 
numbers  and  a-z. 

7.  Sansa  SanDisk  280e  8  gigabyte  flash  player  for 
listening  while  on  the  road  in  my  wife's  car  (she  doesn't 
like  OTR)  or  while  I  walk  for  exercise.  ($120). 

8.  Sony  CD-MP3  player  in  my  car.  ($120). 

9.  Live365.com  yearly  subscription.  ($72). 

The  Twonky  Media  software  scans  the  hard  drive 
directories  of  radio  show  folders  and  puts  the  radio  shows 
into  server  format. 

The  DSM-320  (One  in  my  computer  room,  and  one  on 
the  porch)  access  the  radio  shows  from  the  server.  The 
video  out  goes  to  the  b&w  tv's  so  I  can  read  the  menu 
activated  by  the  DSM-320. 

1.  Turn  on  the  b&w  tv. 

2.  Turn  on  the  DSM-320  media  player  with  its  remote.  It 
says  it  is  detecting  the  network,  and  then  it  says  it  is 
detecting  the  media  server. 

3:  Once  the  media  server  is  detected,  make  the  following 
choices: 

1 :  Chose  from  Music,  Photo,  Video,  or  Online  Media. 

2:  High  lite  Music  and  press  enter  on  the  remote. 

3:  Chose  from  Album,  All  Tracks,  Artist,  Folder,  Genre, 

Internet  Radio,  Play  Lists,  or  vTuner  Radio. 

4:  High  lite  Folder  and  press  enter  on  the  remote. 

5:  Select  the  hard  drive  with  the  radio  shows. 

6:  Chose  from  #123  Shows  folder,  or  A  Shows  -  Z  Shows 

folders. 

In  this  case  I  select  the  folder  C  Shows  and  my  choices  of 
listening  are  as  follows: 


01.  California  Melodies 

02.  Call  for  Music 

03.  Campbell  Playhouse 

04.  Can  You  Imagine  That 

05.  Captain  Stubby 

06.  Captains  of  Industry 

07.  Cavalcade  of  America 

08.  CBS  Radio  Workshop 

09.  Charlie  Chan 

10.  Charlotte  Greenwood 

1 1 .  Chrysler  Showroom  with  Sammy  Kaye 

12.  Cloak  and  Dagger 

13.  Columbia  Workshop 

14.  Command  Performance 

15.  Couple  Next  Door 

Turn  on  the  fake  old  time  radio.  The  audio  from  the 
DSM-320  is  fed  to  the  auxiliary  input  of  the  back  of  the 
radio.  I'm  listening  to  Chrysler  Showroom  as  I  write. 
Make  your  selection  and  then  chose  the  particular  show 
from  that  selection  that  you  want  to  listen  to. 
I  can  also  access  Live365.com  from  the  DSM-320  media 
player. 

The  above  describes  how  I  listen  to  OTR  in  the  house. 
If  I'm  in  my  car  and  by  myself,  I'm  listening  to  OTR  all 
the  time  on  the  CD-MP3  player.  While  I'm  at  work  I'm 
tuned  in  to  Live365.com  and  listening  to  OTR  or  Big 
Band  music.  My  favorite  station  is  GI  Jive  Radio.  I  hope 
this  shows  how  much  of  a  nut  I  am.  Do  I  listen  to  every 
show  I  download?  No  way,  can't  be  done.  Do  I  listen  to  a 
lot  of  OTR?  Yeah,  probably  more  than  most  people.  I 
want  to  thank  the  group  for  the  shows  that  are  in  the  on- 
line OTRR  Library.  I  listened  to  quite  a  few  while 
recuperating  this  last  week  from  bacterial  pneumonia. 

There's  spine-tingling  excite- 
ment and  hair-raising  thrills  in 


TRUE 

DETECTIVE 
MYSTERIES 


Tune  In 
This  Sunday 
Afternoon,  on 


MBS 


Check  your  local  paper  for  time. 


The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


16 


The  Halls  of  Ivy  Reaches  Certification 

The  Old  Time  Radio  Researchers  announced  this 
month  the  certified  release  of  The  Halls  Of  Ivy.  Ed 
Sehlhorst  and  his  capable  team  worked  for  six  month 
preparing  the  very  best  set  of  this  series  possible.  As  with 
all  of  Ed's  teams  releases,  it  contains  a  wealth  of 
additional  materials  that  will  just  add  to  the  listeners 
enjoyment. 

A  special  feature  of  the  DVD  version  of  the  release  is 
the  inclusion  of  several  television  episodes  of  the  series. 

The  Halls  of  Ivy  was  an  NBC  radio  sitcom  that  ran 
from  1949-1952.  It  was  created  by  Fibber  McGee  &  Molly 
co-creator/writer  Don  Quinn  before  being  adapted  into  a 
CBS  television  comedy  (1954-55)  produced  by  ITC 
Entertainment  and  Television  Programs  of  America. 
British  husband-and-wife  actors  Ronald  Colman  and 
Benita  Hume  starred  in  both  versions  of  the  show. 

Quinn  developed  the  show  after  he  had  decided  to 
leave  Fibber  McGee  &  Molly  in  the  hands  of  his  protege 
Phil  Leslie.  The  Halls  of  Ivy's  audition  program  featured 
radio  veteran  Gale  Gordon  (then  co-starring  in  Our  Miss 
Brooks)  and  Edna  Best  in  the  roles  that  ultimately  went  to 
the  Colmans,  who'd  shown  a  flair  for  radio  comedy  in 
recurring  roles  on  The  Jack  Benny  Program  in  the  late 
1940s. 

The  combination  of  Mr.  &  Mrs.  Colman's  acting  and 
Don  Quinn's  writing  made  for  an  enjoyable  half-hour's 
worth  of  entertainment.  Quinn  wrote  jokes  that  made  you 
think.  On  the  McGee  program  there  was  a  fast  and  furious 
onslaught  of  crazy  puns,  mangled  cliches,  and  double- 
meanings.  Sometimes  all  at  once  -  when  delivered  by  the 
superb  timing  of  the  talented  Jim  Jordan  as  Fibber. 

The  pace  was  brought  down  a  notch  or  two  for  the 
Halls  of  Ivy,  but  not  the  wit.  Guaranteed  to  put  a  smile  on 
your  face  -  and  keep  it  there  for  30  minutes  -  the  dialogue 
between  the  Colmans  was,  and  still  is  today,  fresh  and 
humorous.  They  worked  well  together,  and  one  needs  only 
to  listen  to  the  program  for  five  minutes  to  know  they 
were  obviously  enjoying  themselves. 

The  Halls  of  Ivy  featured  Colman  as  William 
Todhunter  Hall,  the  president  of  small,  Midwestern  Ivy 
College,  and  his  wife,  Victoria,  a  former  British  musical 
comedy  star  who  sometimes  felt  the  tug  of  her  former 
profession,  and  followed  their  interactions  with  students, 
friends  and  college  trustees.  Others  in  the  cast  included 
Herbert  Butterfield  as  testy  board  chairman  Clarence 
Wellman;  Willard  Waterman  (then  starring  as  Harold 
Peary's  successor  as  The  Great  Gildersleeve)  as  board 


member  John  Merriweather;  and,  Elizabeth  Patterson  and 
Gloria  Gordon  as  the  Halls'  maid. 

The  series  ran  110  half-hour  radio  episodes  from 
January  6,  1950  to  June  25,  1952,  with  Quinn,  Jerome 
Lawrence,  and  Robert  Lee  writing  most  of  the  scripts  and 
giving  free  if  even  more  sophisticated  play  to  Quinn's 
knack  for  language  play,  inverted  cliches  and  swift  puns 
(including  the  show's  title  and  lead  characters),  a  knack 
he'd  shown  for  years  writing  Fibber  McGee  &  Molly. 
Jerome  Lawrence  and  Robert  Lee  continued  as  a  writing 
team;  their  best-known  play  is  Inherit  the  Wind. 

Cameron  Blake,  Walter  Brown  Newman,  Robert 
Sinclair,  and  Milton  and  Barbara  Merlin  became  writers 
for  the  program  as  well.  But  listeners  were  surprised  to 
discover  that  the  episode  of  27  September  1950,  "The 
Leslie  Hoff  Painting,"  a  story  tackling  racial  prejudice, 
was  written  by  Colman  himself. 

The  sponsors  were  Schlitz  Brewing  Company  and  then 
Nabisco.  Nat  Wolff  produced  and  directed,  Henry  Russell 
handled  the  music  and  radio  veteran  Ken  Carpenter  was 
the  announcer. 

OTRR  Certified 

The  Halls  of  Ivy 
Version  One 

The  Old  Time  Radio  Researchers  Group  on  Yahoo  - 
http  ://groups .  y  ahoo .  com/  group/OldTimeRadioResearcher  s 
Group  and  located  on  the  web  at  www.otrr.org  has 
certified  this  series. 

The  Series  Researchers,  Log  Researchers  and  Database 
compilers  of  the  Old  Time  Radio  Researchers  (OTRR) 
Group  have  thoroughly  researched  this  Old  Time  Radio 
Series,  utilizing  information  found  on  the  Internet,  books 
published  on  this  series,  and  old  time  radio  in  general. 
They  have  determined  that  as  of  February  15,  2009,  this 
series  is  as  complete  as  possible,  with  the  most  current 
information  included  as  to  broadcast  dates,  episode 
numbers,  episode  titles,  number  of  episodes  broadcast,  and 
best  encodes  at  the  time  of  Certification. 

Each  file  has  been  named  in  accordance  with  the 
Uniform  Naming  Code  as  based  on  the  OTR  Database  to 
be  found  at  -  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Otr-Project/ 

The  Old  Time  Radio  Researchers  Group  now  declares 
this  series  to  be  Certified  Accurate.  There  is  one  DVD  or 
two  CDs  in  this  release,(the  DVD  release  contains  an 
additional  folder  of  television  episodes),  which  represents 
the  most  up  to  date  and  accurate  version  endorsed  by  the 
OTRR.  In  order  to  ensure  that  only  the  best  possible 
version  of  this  series  is  in  circulation,  we  recommend  that 
all  prior  OTRR  versions  be  discarded. 

As  always,  it  is  possible  that  more  information  will 


The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


17 


surface  which  will  show  that  some  of  our  conclusions 
were  wrong.  Please  e-mail  us  at  ed_sehlhorst@yahoo.com 
or  post  your  corrections  at 

http://www.otrr.org/pmwiki/Misc/ReleaseIssues  and  let  us 
know  if  any  corrections  are  required.  Also,  if  you  have 
any  better  encodes  of  the  series,  or  additional  episodes, 
please  let  us  know  so  that  we  can  include  them  with  the 
next  release  of  the  Certified  Series. 

The  Old  Time  Radio  Researchers  Group  would  like  to 
thank  the  following  people  who  helped  on  this  series  - 
Series  Coordinator  -Tom  Mandeville,  Ed  Sehlorst 
Dedicated  helpers  -  David  Oxford,  Ernie  Cosgrove,  Dee 
Detevis,  Sue  Sieger,  Mike  Galbreath,  Bob  Hicks,  Don 
Wallace,  Ed  Martin,  Kay  Lhota,  Tallguy,  Mike  Harron, 
Jim  Witteveen,  Mark  Olane,  Larry  Gassman,  John  Baker, 
Bob  Hicks,  Lisa  Fittinghoff,  Philiper376, 
Missing  Episodes  -  Clorinda  Thompson 
Audio  File  recorders  -  Sue  Sieger,  Jim  Beshires 
Newspaper  Research  -  Ben  Kibler 
Special  Assistance  -  Walt  Pattinson 
File  corrections  -  Andrew  Steinberg 
And  all  the  members  and  friends  of  the  OTRR  for  their 
contributions  of  time,  knowledge,  funds,  and  other 
support. 

This  series  will  be  released  by  the  Distribution  Center 
of  the  OTRR  shortly,  and  will  make  its  way  to 
archive.org,  and  to  the  general  old  time  radio  community 
thereafter. 


THE  HALLS  OF  IVY 


I 


RADIO 
SHOWS 

starring 

y_)j__5M 


OTRR  Releases  Version  Two  of  Ports 

of  Call 

The  Old  Time  Radio  Researchers  Group  has  recently 
released  version  two  of  Ports  Of  Call,  an  extremely 
obscure  series.  Neither  'On  The  Air',  or  'The  Ultimate 
Guide,  had  any  listing  for  it,  and  despite  an  exhausive 
search  on  the  internet  turned  up  any  information. 
According  to  the  log  prepared  by  Ben  Kibler,  utilizing  the 
OTRR  Newspaper  Database,  the  program  was  broadcast 
in  1935  and  1936.  The  series  consisted  of  at  least  68 
episodes  of  which  37  are  known  to  exist.  Each  episode 
dealt  with  the  premise  of  a  voyage  to  a  country,  and  dealt 
with  events  in  that  countries  history. 

OTRR  Certified 
Ports  of  Call 
Version  Two 

The  Old  Time  Radio  Researchers  Group  on  Yahoo  - 
http  ://groups .  yahoo .  com/  group/OldTimeRadioResearcher  s 
Group/  and  located  on  the  web  at  www.otrr.org  has 
certified  this  series. 

The  Series  Researchers,  Log  Researchers  and  Database 
compilers  of  the  Old  Time  Radio  Researchers  (OTRR) 
Group  have  thoroughly  researched  this  Old  Time  Radio 
Series,  utilizing  information  found  on  the  Internet,  books 
published  on  this  series  and  old  time  radio  in  general. 

They  have  determined  that  as  of  Februrary  22,  2009, 
this  series  is  as  complete  as  possible,  with  the  most  current 
information  included  as  to  broadcast  dates,  episode 
numbers,  episode  titles,  number  of  episodes  broadcast,  and 
best  encodes  at  the  time  of  Certification. 

Each  file  has  been  named  in  accordance  with  the 
Uniform  Naming  Code  as  based  on  the  OTR  Database  to 
be  found  at  -  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Otr-Project/ 

The  Old  Time  Radio  Researchers  Group  now  declares 
this  series  to  be  Certified  Accurate.  There  is  oned  CD  in 
this  release,  which  represents  the  most  up  to  date  and 
accurate  version  endorsed  by  the  OTRR.  In  order  to 
ensure  that  only  the  best  possible  version  of  this  series  is 
in  circulation,  we  recommend  that  all  prior  OTRR 
versions  be  discarded.  This  version  contains  two 
additional  episodes  and  one  sound  upgrade. 

As  always,  it  is  possible  that  more  information  will 
surface  which  will  show  that  some  of  our  conclusions 
were  wrong.  Please  e-mail  us  at  beshiresjim@yahoo.com, 
or  post  your  corrections  at 

http://www.otrr.org/pmwiki/Misc/ReleaseIssues  and  let  us 
know  if  any  corrections  are  required.  Also,  if  you  have 


The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


18 


any  better  encodes  of  the  series,  or  additional  episodes, 
please  let  us  know  so  that  we  can  include  them  with  the 
next  release  of  the  Certified  Series. 

The  Old  Time  Radio  Researchers  Group  would  like  to 
thank  the  following  people  who  helped  on  this  series  - 
Series  Coordinator  -  Jim  Beshires 
Quality  Listener(s)  -  Clorinda  Thompson 
Series  Synopsis  -  Jim  Beshires 
Sound  Upgrades  -  Randy  Riddle 
Missing  Episodes  -  Randy  Riddle 

Audio  Briefs  Announcer(s)  -  Patrick  Andre,  Jim  Beshires 
Audio  Briefs  Compiler(s)  -  Doug  Hopkinson,  Jim 
Beshires 

Logs  -  Ben  Kibler 

Artwork  -  Jim  Beshires 

File  corrections  -  Andrew  Steinberg 

And  all  the  members  and  friends  of  the  OTRR  for  their 
contributions  of  time,  knowledge,  funds,  and  other 
support. 

Look  for  the  new  version  in  a  group  near  you  very 
soon! 


The  Harold  Peary  Show  is  Certified 

The  Old  Time  Radio  Researchers  has  announced  the 
certified  release  of  another  great  series  -  The  Harold 
Peary  Show.  It  was  produced  by  Jim  Beshires'  team  and 
was  worked  on  for  about  three  months. 

The  Harold  Peary  Show  made  its  CBS  debut  on 
September  9,  1950.  An  audition  show  was  done  on  August 
23,  1950.  Harold  Peary  was  the  creator  and  main 
performer  for  the  show. 

Previously  starring  on  The  Great  Gildersleeve,  Peary 
took  many  of  Gildy's  characteristics  along  with  him  to  his 
new  Honest  Harold  character:  the  "dirty"  laugh,  singing 
songs,  and  closing  dialogue  over  credits  were  all  there 
with  Harold.  And  that  voice.  Who  could  forget  that  voice? 
In  simple  terms,  Peary  couldn't  or  wouldn't  sound  and  act 
differently  enough  to  make  listeners  forget  Gildy,  and  that 
made  it  very  tough  for  the  new  show  to  fly.  Perhaps  the 
plot  was  a  little  creaky  for  the  beginning  of  the  Rock  'n' 
Roll  era,  as  well. 

The  show  was  about  an  older,  unmarried  guy,  Honest 
Harold  Hemp,  who  lived  with  his  mother  and  nephew  and 
did  a  radio  homemaker's  program.  The  townsfolk  think  of 
him  as  somewhat  of  a  celebrity,  but  his  girlfriend,  Gloria, 
who  works  at  the  station,  knows  better. 

The  series  received  undeserved  negative  ratings  and 
general  negative  comments  as  there  were  just  too  many 
similarities  between  the  two  series. 

Also,  the  series  was  without  a  sponsor,  although  some 
of  the  last  shows  were  sponsored  by  the  US  Armed 
Forces.  The  series  lasted  only  one  season. 

The  regular  cast  consisted  of  Harold  Peary,  Gloria 
Holiday,  Peary's  wife,  who  played  Gloria,  Joseph  Kearns 
as  Old  Dock  'Yak  Yak'  Yancy,  Mary  Jane  Croft  and 
Parley  Baer.  The  announcer  was  Bob  Lamond.  The  series 
was  directed  by  Norman  MacDonnell.  Writers  for  the 
series  were  Harold  Peary,  Bill  Danch,  Jack  Robinson  and 
Gene  Stone.  Music  was  by  Jack  Meakin.  The  last  show 
aired  on  June  13,  1951. 

The  director  of  the  show  was  Norm  Macdonnell,  who 
went  on  to  create  perhaps  the  greatest  old  time  radio  show 
Gunsmoke,  and  another  western,  Fort  Laramie.  Of  course, 
Norm  was  a  solid  radio  veteran  who  certainly  had  a  flare 
for  directing  comedy,  so  he  and  Peary,  together  with  an 
excellent  cast,  made  Honest  Harold  just  about  as  good  a 
show  as  it  could  be. 


The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


19 


OTRR  Certified 
The  Harold  Peary  Show 
Version  One 

The  Old  Time  Radio  Researchers  Group  on  Yahoo  - 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/01dTimeRadioResearchers 
Group/  and  located  on  the  web  at  www.otrr.org  has 
certified  this  series. 

The  Series  Researchers,  Log  Researchers  and  Database 
compilers  of  the  Old  Time  Radio  Researchers  (OTRR) 
Group  have  thoroughly  researched  this  Old  Time  Radio 
Series,  utilizing  information  found  on  the  Internet,  books 
published  on  this  series  and  old  time  radio  in  general. 
They  have  determined  that  as  of  February  22,  2009,  this 
series  is  as  complete  as  possible,  with  the  most  current 
information  included  as  to  broadcast  dates,  episode 
numbers,  episode  titles,  number  of  episodes  broadcast,  and 
best  encodes  at  the  time  of  Certification. 

Each  file  has  been  named  in  accordance  with  the 
Uniform  Naming  Code  as  based  on  the  OTR  Database  to 
be  found  at  -  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Otr-Project/ 

The  Old  Time  Radio  Researchers  Group  now  declares 
this  series  to  be  Certified  Complete.  There  is  one  CD  in 
this  release,  which  represents  the  most  up  to  date  and 
accurate  version  endorsed  by  the  OTRR.  In  order  to 
ensure  that  only  the  best  possible  version  of  this  series  is 
in  circulation,  we  recommend  that  all  prior  OTRR 
versions  be  discarded. 

As  always,  it  is  possible  that  more  information  will 
surface  which  will  show  that  some  of  our  conclusions 
were  wrong.  Please  e-mail  us  at  beshiresjim@yahoo.com, 
or  post  your  corrections  at 

http://www.otrr.org/pmwiki/Misc/ReleaseIssues  and  let  us 
know  if  any  corrections  are  required.  Also,  if  you  have 
any  better  encodes  of  the  series,  or  additional  episodes, 
please  let  us  know  so  that  we  can  include  them  with  the 
next  release  of  the  Certified  Series. 

The  Old  Time  Radio  Researchers  Group  would  like  to 
thank  the 

following  people  who  helped  on  this  series  - 
Series  Coordinator  -  Jim  Beshires 
Quality  Listener(s)  -  Alica  Williams,  Ernie  Cosgrove, 
Terry  Caswell 

Series  Synopsis  -  Terry  Caswell 

Audio  Briefs  Announcer(s)  -  Alicia  Williams,  Bob  Hicks, 
Clyde  C  Kell 

Audio  Briefs  Compiler(s)  -Terry  Caswell,  Jim  Beshires 

Artwork  -  Brian  Allen 

Stars  Bios  -  Terry  Caswell 

File  corrections  -  Andrew  Steinberg 


And  all  the  members  and  friends  of  the  OTRR  for  their 
contributions  of  time,  knowledge,  funds,  and  other 
support. 

This  series  will  be  released  by  the  Distribution  Center 
of  the  OTRR  shortly,  and  will  make  its  way  to 
archive.org,  and  to  the  general  old  time  radio  community 
thereafter. 


A  Heartfelt  "Thank  You" 

I  want  to  thank  each  of  you  for  your  prayers,  e-mails, 
cards  and  contributions  when  I  lost  my  life  partner,  Ron 
Speegle,  of  28  years. 

His  passing  leaves  a  void  in  my  life  and  I've  had  a  very 
hard  time  dealing  with  his  death.  Many  days  I've  not  felt 
like  going  on,  but  my  special  old  time  radio  friends  just 
won't  let  me  give  up. 

I  especially  want  to  thank  Doug  Hopkinson,  Clorinda 
Thompson,  and  Ryan  Ellett  for  their  many  phone  calls  of 
encouragement  and  prayerful  support. 

Many  of  you  made  contributions  to  the  Courtyard 
Project  at  Unity  of  Savannah.  This  beautiful  courtyard 
will  be  named  in  honor  of  Ron,  who  was  a  dedicated 
church  member,  singing  in  the  choir,  serving  as  Usher,  co- 
chair  of  the  2006  Sanctuary  Renovation,  co-chair  of  the 
Fellowship  Committee,  and  in  many,  many  other 
capacities. 

Thank  you  for  what  you've  done.  It's  helped  me  to 
continue  on  when  I  didn't  want  to. 


The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


20 


News  From  the  Community 

Conventions 

Cinefest  2009  -  March  2009.  For  more  information, 
contact  Robert  Oliver  - 

ROLIVER9@twcny.rr.com?Subiect=Cinefest  2008 
Cincinnati 's  23  rd  Annual  Nostalgia  and  Old  Time  Radio 
Convention  -  April  24-25,  2009,  Crowne  Plaza,  11911 
Sheraton  Lane,  Cincinnati,  OH  45246.  For  more 
information,  contact  Bob  Burchett,  (888)  477-9112  or  e- 
mail  to:  haradio @ hotmail .com. 

20th  Annual  Radio  Classics  Live!  -  May  2,  2009.  Buckley 
Performing  Arts  Center,  Massasoit  Community  College, 
Brockton,  MA.  Contact  Bob  Bowers  (508)  758-4865,  or  e- 
mail  bobowers  @  version.net  for  more  information. 
SPERDVAC  -  May  1-3,  2008  -Beverly  Garland  Holiday 
Inn,  North  Hollywood,  CA.  Contact  Jerry  Williams  @ 
mry  13 13  @  sbcglobal.net  for  more  information. 
MidAtlantic  Nostalgia  Convention  -  Aug  27-29,  2009. 
FOTR  Convention  -  Oct  22-25,  2009  -  Holiday  Inn, 
Newark,  NJ,  for  more  information  -  www.fotr.net. 

Publications  received 
AirCheck  -  January  2009  -  "Fibber  McGee',  REPS 
Convention  Announcment  for  2009,  Editors  Desk,  Library 
Announcements, 

Hello  Again  -  Nov-Dec  2008  -  A  Personal  Note, 
Convention  Announcments,  Publications  Received,  Book 
Review  'This  Day  in  Network  Radio',  by  Jim  Cox,  Web 
sites,  Catalogs  and  New  Shows,  Old  Friends,  In  Fond 
Memory,  2008  Convention  Highlights. 
Hello  Again  -  Jan-Feb  2009  -  A  Personal  Note,  Script 
Contest  Announcement,  Publications  Received, 
Convention  announcements,  Web  Sites,  Catalogs  and 
New  Shows,  New  Friend,  Old  Friends,  In  Fond  Memory. 
Illustrated  Press  -  December  2008  -  The  CBS  Radio 
Mystery  Theater,  Librarian's  Note,  Abbot  and  Costello  On 
The  Radio,  Being  There,  How  Peg  Grew  Into  Ethel. 
Illustrated  Press  -  The  CBS  Radio  Mystery  Theater  -  Part 
Two',  Book  Review  'This  Day  In  Network  Radio'  by  Jim 
Cox,  The  Radio  Hour,  Slips  That  Pass  Through  The  Mike, 
Lisa  Sergio  Strikes  Back,  Membership  renewal 
announcement. 
Radio  Recall  -  No  New  Issue 
Radiogram  -  January  2009  -  The  Saga  Of  The  Six 
Shooter,  The  Radio  Stars  Look  At  Television,  2009 
Convention  Report,  Book  Review  'This  Day  In  Network 
Radio',  Book  review  "Encyclopedia  Of  American  Radio  - 
1920-1960',  by  Jim  Cox,  Book  Review  'Reagan',  Mr 


Benny's  Revenge. 

Radiogram  -  Feb  2009  -  Who  Was  That  Walking  Man?, 
2009  Convention  report,  Radio  Rod,  Finding  a  Voice  - 
Part  one,  At  Home  With  Pam  And  Jerry, 
Return  With  Us  Now  -  December  2008  -  Superman, 
Kryptonite  Discovered  In  Mine,  Book  review  'This  Day 
In  Network  Radio',  Christmas  Gifts  For  OTR  Characters, 
From  the  Editors  Desk. 

Return  With  Us  Now  -  January  2009  -  Older  Than  Dirt??, 

Museum  of  Television  and  Radio,  Book  review  'The 

Great  Radio  Sitcoms',  From  The  Editors  Desk,  OTR 

Characters  New  Years  Resolutions. 

Return  With  Us  Now  -  February  2009,  From  Gunsmoke 

To  Fort  Laramie,  Crossword  Puzzle,  From  The  Editors 

Desk. 

If  you  would  like  information  on  your  club, 
convention,  or  nostalgia  organization  reviewed,  please  e- 
mail  beshiresjim@yahoo.com  with  the  information.  If 
you  know  of  a  publication  about  old  time  radio,  or  any 
nostalgia  subject,  please  let  us  know,  so  that  we  can 
attempt  to  obtain  review  copies. 

CATALOGS  -  Attn:  Dealers,  if  you  would  like  your 
latest  catalog  reviewed,  send  it  to  OTRR,  123  Davidson 
Ave,  Savannah,  GA  31419,  or  beshresjim@yahoo.com. 

ATTN:  OTR  or  Nostalgia  publications,  please  add  us 
to  your  complimentary  subscription  list  -  OTRR,  123 
Davidson  Ave,  Savannah,  GA,  31419 


[USmORflilDIHT.niD  .  FOMM-HSmOnHVAKKirrSFIXtJI 


The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


21 


Old  Time  Radio  Researchers  Support 
the  2009  Cincinnati  Convention 

The  Old  Time  Radio  Researchers  group  is  dedicated  to 
supporting  old  time  radio  in  every  fashion  that  we  can. 
Our  mission  statement  shows  that  we  are  committed  to 
finding,  purchasing,  renting,  cleaning  up  and  distributing 
golden  age  radio  programs  freely  to  anyone  who  wishes  to 
receive  them. 

And  for  the  past  several  years  we  have  attempted  to 
give  support  to  the  Cincinnati  Convention,  it  being  the 
most  centrally  located  of  them.  Our  support  started  out 
small  as  we  were  just  beginning  our  work.  The  first 
couple  of  years  we  just  furnished  items  for  the  raffle  table. 
In  2006  we  gave  copies  of  our  certified  series  sets 
amounting  to  a  value  of  about  $200.00.  In  2007,  we 
increased  that  to  about  $400.00,  in  2008,  we  were  able  to 
give  a  cash  donation  of  $500,  plus  another  $500.00  in 
merchandise. 

In  the  fall  of  2008,  Bob  announced  that  Eddie  Carroll, 
the  famous  Jack  Benny  impersonator,  would  be  a  guest 
star  at  the  2009  Convention.  We  knew  that  this  would 
mean  that  the  budget  for  the  convention  would  increase 
dramatically,  so  OTRR  decided  to  turn  to  its  members  and 
ask  for  donations  to  help  meet  this  budget  increase.  We 
asked  for  as  many  as  could  to  contribute  just  $8.00  each. 

We  thought  that  perhaps  we  might  raise  as  much  as 
$800.00,  but  to  our  surprise  and  joy,  our  members 
responded  with  a  grand  total  of  $1566.00!  What  a 
fantastic  amount,  especially  in  light  of  the  financial  crisis 
that  the  country  was  undergoing. 

This  amount  brings  the  total  amount  disbursed  by  the 
OTRR  Treasury  to  bring  more  old  time  radio  to  more 
people  to  $12,502.30,  leaving  a  balance  in  the  treasury  of 
$1,346.35  as  of  Feb  15,  2009. 

Many,  many  thanks  to  each  of  the  following  for  their 
generosity  in  supporting  old  time  radio: 

Mark  Farmer(Spartaotr)  -  $250.00,  OTRRLibrary(Ron 
Speegle)  -  $100.00,  John  Schneider  -  $8.00,  Gordon 
Gentry  -  $10.00,  Allan  Foster  -  $20.00,  David  Oxford  - 
$10.00,  Allan  Turner  -  $8.00,  Michael  Tkach  -  $8.00, 
Jerry  Thomas  -  $10.00,  John  Baker  -  $8.00,  Mike  Myers  - 
$40.00,  Michael  Harron  -  $10.00,  Chris  Antoniacci  - 
$50.00,  Brian  Allen  -  $8.00,  Bernie  Czerwinski  -  $15.00, 
Stephen  Myers  -  $8.00,  Park  Lawrence  -  $8.00,  Wes 
Dickey  -  $10.00,  Ed  Mortensen  -  $100.00,  Richard 
Andrews  -  $10.00,  Scott  Garrett  -  $20.00,  Scott  C  Galley 
$20.00,  Harold  Waters  -  $10.00,  Janet  Cooper  -  $25.00, 


Jim  Wood  -  $8.00,  Victor  Loberger  -  $10.00,  John 
Enrietto  -  $20.00,  Michael  Adams  -  $8.00,  John  Buxbaum 

-  $16.00,  Edward  Sehlhorst  -  $20.00,  Paul  Urbahns  - 
$21.00,  Pat  Quinn  -  $10.00,  Mikael  Carlsson  -  $25.00, 
Michael  Galbreath  -  $10.00,  John  Kaiser  -  $20.00,  Allan 
Turner  -  $12.00,  George  Imm  -  $25.00,  Gary  Bartimus  - 
$50.00,  Daniel  Stripes  -  $50.00,  Marilyn  Fetterman  - 
$10.00,  John  Schneider  -  $12.00,  Gary  Mollica  -  $10.00, 
Lewis  Krieger  -  $10.00,  Peter  Huber  -  $10.00,  John  Sweat 

-  $10.00,  Kurt  Schriever  -  $8.00,  Robert  Legge  -  $50.00, 
Lloyd  Seevers  -  $8.00,  John  Liska  -  $21.00,  Robert  Philips 

-  $25.00,  Arthur  Cohen  -  $10.00,  Ernie  Cosgrove  -  $25.00, 
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Each  of  these  generous  contributors  received  a  'thank 
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'of  the 


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When  nagging  headache* 

Bring  you  grief 
Alka-$eltzcr  doe5  the  tncl 
Doe*  it  right 

And  doe*  it  quick.. 


The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


22 


75T  •  u  ■ 


Eddie  „ 
4  diHll 

Jack 
penny 


Bob  Hastings 

Archie  Andrews, 
McHale's  Navy 

Rosemary 
Rice 

Archie  Andrews 
I  Remember  Mama 

Esther 
Geddes 


Talk  of  The  Town 


APRIL  24-25, 2009 

HOURS  FRIDAY  9AM-9PM 

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The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


23 


The  Story  ofTwenty  Questions      The  Eternal  Light  FibberMcGee  and  Molly  Fibber  McGee's  Scrapbook 

by  Robert VanDeventer  by  Eli  Segal  by  Clair  Schub  by  Clair  Schub 


Bill  Idelson's  Writing  Class  Don't  Wear  Silver  in  the  Winter    The  Lucky  Strike  Papers  Radio,  TV,  Mother  Earth  &  Me 

by  Bill  Idelson  by  Janet  CantorGari  by  Andrew  Lee  Felding  byjoel  Rapp 


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RADIO 
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Njrriimrv,  Ni«s  limltics.  Sports 

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f^gr,-/^  Aural  t.ihcr  from 

J§S  iht  H'Os  la  ihc 

J|»  1980s— A 

^^^^  Biographical 

'M  Dictionary 

X  JIM  CDX 


A  <...!■...  Iltunri  util 
I  |tixn)i-  I  <t£  at  lt.n)n>  * 


Mm  Cox.  2004,  $65  luidcover  (7  x  10), 
photos,  notes,  chronology,  Bibliography, 
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The  DAYTIME 
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TELEVISION 


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FRANK  and  ANNE 
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Jim  Cox.  2003,  $35  softcover,  photos, 
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—NOW  AVAILABLE — 

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Supplement  #3 


The  3rd  Revised  Ultimate  History  of 

Network  Radio  Programming  and 
Guide  to  All  Circulating  Shows 

************************************************* 

Written  by  Jay  Hickerson 
October,  2008 

Lists  many  changes  and  additions  to  network  programming. 
Lists  many  new  dated  shows  in  circulation  with  the  source  of  every  show. 

Lists  more  theme  songs 

Cost  of  Supplement  #3:  $5.00  plus  $1.50  P&H 

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The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


26 


And  The 


PRESENT 

f>  GATHERING  OF  GUNS 
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June  4  6, 2009 

Whispering  Woods  Hotel  and  Conference  Center 
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Confirmed  Guests:   


Denny  Miller 

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Ty  Hardin 

"Bronco" 
AA'C  Columnist 


Robert  Hortou 

"AA'agon  Train" 
"Man  C  ailed  Shenandoah" 


Robert  Fuller 

"Laramie" 
"AVagon  Train*' 


Will  Hutchiiis 

"Sugarfoot" 
WC  C  olutnnist  for  15  years 


Jnu  Merlin 

"Rough  Riders" 


James  Drury 

"The  Airginian" 


Peter  Brown 

"Lawman" 
"Laredo" 


Don  Collier 

"The  Outlaws" 
"High  Chaparral*' 


Many  More  to  C  ome! 
Copies  of  virtually  every  TV  western  series  ever  produced  will  be  shown  on  tape/DJ'D  or  film; 
For  continuing  updated  information  as  time  progresses,  go  to  <WA-Av.Avesternclippings.com>  and 
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Contact:  Boyd  Magers  WESTERN  CLIPPINGS 

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(501)  499-0444  email:  rnielsen@aUtel.net 


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Albuquerque,  NM  87123 
(505)  292-0049  email: AidAvestrVz  coincast.net 


The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


27 


Oldltme  Radio 


'OldTime  Radio 


OldTime  Radio 

(DIGEST 


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DIGEST 


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888.477.9112  haradio@msn.com 

The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


24  years  ago  we  gave  the 
first  issue  free  in  hopes 
you  would  support  a  new 
ORT  publication,  and  we're 
glad  many  of  you  did  over 
the  years. 

To  those  who  don't  know 
about  the  Digest  we  are 
making  the  same  offer 
again.  Use  the  handy 
coupon,  and  we  will  send 
you  a  free  issue.  You  can 
use  the  same  coupon  to 
subscribe  if  you  want. 


28 


New  Acquisitions 


Bob  Hope  Birthday  Special  63-05-29  Host  -  Hugh 
Downs.wav 


The  following  is  a  list  of  newly  acquired  series/episodes. 
They  may  either  be  new  to  mp3  or  better  encodes.  These 
were  acquired  by  the  Group  during  the  month  of 
December.  They  were  purchased  by  donations  from 
members  and  friends  of  the  Old  Time  Radio  Researchers. 
If  you  have  cassettes  that  you  would  like  to  donate,  please 
e-mail  beshiresjim@yahoo.com.  For  reel-to-reels,  contact 
davidO  @  centurytel.net  and  for  transcription  disks 
tony  senior@yahoo.com 

50th  Anniversary  Of  The  AT&T  35-03-03.wav 

Al  Jolson  -  Colgate  Program  43-01-05  Guest  -  Monte 
Woolley.wav 

Al  Jolson  -  Colgate  Program  43-01-12  Guest  -  Robert 
Benchley.wav 

Andre  Kostelanetz  Show  43-12-05  Guest  -  Nestor  Nesta 
Chiez.wav 

Andre  Kostelanetz  Show  43-12-19  Guest  -  Jan  Peerce.wav 
Andre  Kostelanetz  Show,  The  43-12-26  Guest  -  Frank 
Parker.wav 

Andre  Kostelanetz  Show,  The  44-01-02  Guest  -  Nestor 
Nesta  Chiez.wav 

Andre  Kostelanetz  Show,  The  44-01-09  Guest  -  Rise 
Stevens.wav 

Andre  Kostelanetz  Show,  The  44-01-16  Guest  -  James 
Melton.wav 

Any  Bonds  Today  42-02-04  (01)  Guest  -  Henry 
Fonda.wav 

Any  Bonds  Today  42-02-1 1  (02)  Guest  -  Igor  Gorin.wav 
Any  Bonds  Today  42-02-18  (03)  Guest  -  Walter 
Pidgeon.wav 

Any  Bonds  Today  42-02-25  (04)  Guest  -  Fay  Wray.wav 

Barry  Gray  Show,  The  46-10-27  Guest  -  Al  Jolson.wav 

Barry  Wood  Show,  The  46-xx-xx  (117)  First  Song  -  Foot 
Loose  And  Fancy  Free.wav 

Barry  Wood  Show,  The  46-xx-xx  (118)  First  Song  - 
Sweet  Sue.wav 

Barry  Wood  Show,  The  46-xx-xx  (121)  First  Song  -  I'm 
Looking  Over  A  Four  Leaf  Clover.wav 
Barry  Wood  Show,  The  46-xx-xx  (122)  First  Song  -  Sing 
Something  Simple.wav 

The  Old  Radio  Times  *  Fel 


CBS  News  40-07  29  Rumors  That  Invasion  Of  England 
Imminent.wav 

CBS  News  40-07-04  British  Fight  French  At  Oran.wav 
CBS  News  40-07-05  Aftermath  Of  British  Action.wav 
CBS  News  40-07-06  Hilter  Returns  To  Berlin.wav 
CBS  News  40-07-07  More  Air  Raids  On  Both  Sides.wav 
CBS  News  40-07-09  French  Parliment  Set  To  Dissolve 
Itself.wav 

CBS  News  40-07-10  Struggle  For  The  Mediterranian 
Underway.wav 

CBS  News  40-07-11  Axis  Agreement  With  Russia.wav 
CBS  News  40-07-12  British  Battle  Italians  At  Sea.wav 
CBS  News  40-07-13  Germany  And  Britian  Exchange  Air 
Raids.wav 

CBS  News  40-07-15  Democratic  Convention  Opens.wav 
CBS  News  40-07-19  FDR  Accepts  Nomination  For  A 
Third  Term.wav 

CBS  News  40-07-20  Britain  Answers  Hitler's  Surrender 
Warning.wav 

CBS  News  40-07-22  British  Admits  Loss  Of  A 
Destroyer.wav 

CBS  News  40-07-23  British  Gets  Largest  Budget 
Ever.wav 

CBS  News  40-07-24  Nazi  Press  Threatens  British 
Invasion  Near.wav 

CBS  News  40-07-25  Germans  Using  Spoils  From 
France.wav 

CBS  News  40-07-26  Italian  Bomers  Hit  Gibraltar.wav 
CBS  News  40-07-27  Intensified  Air  Raids  Over 
England.wav 

CBS  News  40-07-30  Heavy  German  Military 
Concentrations.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-01-27  (01)  Brave  New  World  - 
Pt  l.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-02-03  (02)  Brave  New  World  - 
Pt  2.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-02-10  (03)  Storm.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-02-17  (04)  Season  of  Disbelief 

and  Hail  and  Farewell.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-02-24  (05)  Colloquy  #1- 

Interview  with  William  Shakespeare.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-03-02  (06)  Voice  Of  New 

York.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-03-09  (07)  Report  On  ESP.wav 
CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-03-16  (08)  Cops  And 
Robbers.wav 

uary2009  *  Number  39  29 


CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-03-23 

Jimmy  Blue  Eyes.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-03-30 

Urbanites.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-04-06 
Cinderella-If  the  Shoe  Fits.wav 
CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-04-13 
CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-04-20 
William  Zekendorf,  Tycoon.wav 
CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-04-27 
Collectors.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-05-04 
War.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-05-1 1 
Radio.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-05-18 
Fools.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-05-25 
Prince.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-06-01 
Logic.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-06-08 
Angels.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-06-16 
CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-06-23 
View.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-06-29 
Joan.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-07-06 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-07-13 

White  Kitten.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-07-20 

London.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-07-27 
CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-08-03 
Sleeping.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-08-10 
Knows.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-08-17 
Dissertation  on  Love.wav 
CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-08-24 
Billion  Dollar  Failure.wav 
CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-08-31 
Study  of  Satire.wav 
CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-09-07 
Thither  of  Danny  Dither.wav 
CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-09-14 
(Venus  Well  Served). wav 
CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-09-21 
Story.wav 

The 


CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-10-05  (36 
CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-10-12  (37 
Work.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-10-19  (38 
Annie  Christmas.wav 
CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-10-26  (39 
Fell,  wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-1 1-02  (40 
Ave. wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-1 1-04  (41 
Jokebook.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-11-11  (42 
We'uns'.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-11-18  (43 
Nation  (x-talk).wav 
17)  Lovers,  Villains  and     CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-1 1-25  (44 

Cats. wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-12-02  (45 
Fell  In.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-12-09  (46 
CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-12-16  (47 
CBS  Radio  Workshop  56-12-23  (48 
CBS  Radio  Workshop  57-01-06  (49 
Birthday  (poor). wav 
CBS  Radio  Workshop  57-01-13  (50 
Heartaches.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  57-01-20  (51 
Malibu.wav 

24)  Portrait  Of  Paris.wav    CBS  Radio  Workshop  57-01-27  (52 

25)  The  Case  Of  The         CBS  Radio  Workshop  57-02-03  (53 

(Opera). wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  57-02-10  (54 
CBS  Radio  Workshop  57-02-17  (55 
Part  l.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  57-02-24  (56 
Part  2.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  57-03-03  (57 
Horse.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  57-03-10  (58 
(Prevarications  of  Mr  Peeps). wav 
CBS  Radio  Workshop  57-03-17  (59 
Road.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  57-03-24  (60 
CBS  Radio  Workshop  57-03-31  (61 
CBS  Radio  Workshop  57-04-07  (62 
Japan.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  57-04-14  (63 
Serape.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop  57-04-21  (64 
Man.wav 

Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


09)  The  Legend  Of 

10)  The  Ex- 

11)  Speaking  of 

12)  Jacob's  Hands.wav 

13)  Living  Portrait  - 

14)  The  Record 

15)  The  Toledo 

16)  The  Enormous 


18)  The  Little 

19)  A  Matter  Of 

20)  Bring  On  The 

21)  The  Stronger.wav 

22)  Another  Point  Of 

23)  The  Eternal 


26)  Portrait  Of 

27)  Star  Boy. wav 

28)  Subways  Are  For 

29)  Only  Johnny 

30)  Colloquy  #2  -  A 

31)  Figger  Fallup's 

32)  Colloquy  #3  -  A 

33)  The  Hither  and 

34)  A  Pride  of  Carrots 

35)  The  Oedipus 


Roughing  It.wav 
A  Writer  At 

The  Legend  Of 

When  The  Mountian 

1600  Pennsylvania 

Joe  Miller's 

Report  On  The 

Sounds  Of  The 

King  Of  The 

The  Day  The  Roof 

I  Was  The  Duke.wav 
The  Big  Event.wav 
All  Is  Bright.wav 
Carl  Sanburg's  79 

No  Time  For 

Disaster!  Fire  At 

The  Crazy  Life.wav 
Le  Grande  Greteche 

1498  Words.wav 
Space  Merchants 

Space  Merchants 

Ballad  Of  The  Iron 

Air  Raid 

The  Endless 

Harmonica  Solo. wav 
A  Dog's  Life.wav 
No  Plays  Of 

Carlotta's 


The  Son  Of 


30 


CBS  Radio  Workshop 
CBS  Radio  Workshop 
CBS  Radio  Workshop 
Home.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop 
Sky.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop 
Heads.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop 
River  Anthology). wav 
CBS  Radio  Workshop 
Rome. wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop 
Problems.wav 
CBS  Radio  Workshop 
Ecclesiastes.wav 
CBS  Radio  Workshop 
Gettysburg.wav 
CBS  Radio  Workshop 
Up. wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop 

Witness.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop 

Earth.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop 
Your  Head.wav 
CBS  Radio  Workshop 
Man. wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop 
(Vacations). wav 
CBS  Radio  Workshop 
Omnibus.wav 
CBS  Radio  Workshop 
Charleston.wav 
CBS  Radio  Workshop 
Black  Sedan.wav 
CBS  Radio  Workshop 
Good.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop 
Again.wav 

CBS  Radio  Workshop 
Axelbrod.wav 


Cisco  Kid,  The  52-1 1-04  The  Ransom  Of  Janet 
Ramsay.wav 

Cisco  Kid,  The  52-1 1-06  The  Valley  Of  Hunted  Men. wav 

Club  Fifteen  47-10-14  First  Song  - 1  Don't  Know 
Why.  wav 

Club  Fifteen  47-1 1-14  First  Song  -  Carioca.wav 


57 
57 
57 

-04- 
-05- 
-05- 

-28 
-05 
-12 

(65) 
(66) 
(67) 

Light  Ship. wav 
Nightmare.wav 
The  Long  Way 

57 

-05- 

-19 

(68) 

Heaven  Is  In  The 

57 

-05- 

-26 

(69) 

I  Have  Three 

57 

-06- 

-02 

(70) 

Epitaphs  (Spoon 

57 

-06- 

-09 

(71) 

The  Seven  Hills  Of 

57 

-06- 

-16 

(72) 

Housing 

57 

-06- 

-23 

(73) 

Meditations  on 

57 

-06- 

-30 

(74) 

The  Battle  Of 

57 

-07- 

-07 

(75) 

You  Could  Look  It 

57 

■07- 

-14 

(76) 

The  Silent 

57 

-07- 

-21 

(77) 

The  Green  Hills  Of 

57 

■07- 

-28 

(78) 

Never  Bet  The  Devil 

57 

-08- 

-04 

(79) 

The  Heart  Of  The 

57 

-08- 

-11 

(80) 

Malihini  Magic 

57 

-08- 

-18 

(81) 

The  Celestial 

57 

-08- 

-25 

(82) 

Sweet  Cherries  in 

57 

-09- 

-01 

(83) 

Grief  Drives  A 

57 

-09- 

-08 

(84) 

People  Are  No 

57 

-09- 

-15 

(85) 

Time  Found 

57 

-09- 

-22 

(86) 

Young  Man 

Club  Fifteen  47-1 1-18  First  Song  -  When  You're  Out  In 

Your  Stanley  Steamer.wav 

Club  Fifteen  47-1 1-25  -  Dance  With  Me. wav 

Club  Fifteen  47-12-02  First  Song  -  Fine  And  Dandy.wav 

Club  Fifteen  48-02-02  First  Song  -  Looking  Over  A  Four 

Leaf  Clover.wav 

Club  Fifteen  48-03-04  First  Song  -  Manyana  (Open 
Cut). wav 

Club  Fifteen  49-06-09  (Open  Cut).wav 

Connee  Boswell  Show,  The  46-05-13  First  Song  - 
Personality.wav 

Connee  Boswell  Show,  The  46-05-20  First  Song  -  Sioux 
City  Sue. wav 

Double  Feature  44-08-13  Guest  -  Andy  Russell.wav 
Double  Feature  44-08-20  Guest  -  Andy  Russell.wav 


Eddie  Cantor  -  Texaco  Town  37-0 
Follies  Act  2.wav 

Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx 
Of  The  Evening.wav 
Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx 
Marvelous  For  Words.wav 
Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx 
Loved  You. wav 

Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx 
Moon  Was  Yellow.wav 
Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx 
Is  The  Moonlight.wav 
Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx 
In  Awhile.wav 

Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx 
In  Love.wav 

Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx 
One  I  Love  Belongs  To  Someone 
Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx 
Lovely  Day  Tomorrow.wav 
Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx 
B  Goode.wav 

Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx 
Moonlight.wav 

Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx 
Baby. wav 

Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx 
Old  Flame.wav 

Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx 
Sincerely.wav 

Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx 


The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


03  Texaco  Town 

07)  First  Song  -  Lady 

08)  First  Song  -  Too 

110)  First  Song -If  I 

111)  First  Song -The 

13)  First  Song  -  Magic 

14)  First  Song  -  Once 

15)  First  Song  -  Two 

16)  First  Song  -  The 
Else. wav 

17)  First  Song  -  It's  A 

18)  First  Song  -  Lady 

19)  First  Song  -  Black 

20)  First  Song  -  Pretty 

21)  First  Song -My 

22)  First  Song  -  Yours 
31)  First  Song -Let 

31 


Me  Love  You  Tonight.wav 

Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx  (32)  First  Song  -  Three 
Little  Words.wav 

Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx  (33)  First  Song  -  Linger    Harry  Richman  Florida  Show,  The  36-xx-xx  (13)  Guest  - 


Guest  Star  52-04-27  Guest  -  Nelson  Eddy.wav 
Guest  Star  54-09-12  Guest  -  Nelson  Eddy.wav 


Awhile.wav 

Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx  (34)  First  Song  - 
Orchids  In  The  Moonlight.wav 

Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx  (35)  First  Song  -  Love 
Walked  In.wav 


Connee  Boswell.wav 

Harry  Richman  Florida  Show,  The  36-xx-xx  (14)  Guest  - 
Pick  &  Pat.wav 

Harry  Richman  Florida  Show,  The  36-xx-xx  (15)  Guest  - 
Pick  &  Pat.wav 


Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx  (36)  First  Song  -  If  This    Harry  Richman  Florida  Show,  The  36-xx-xx  (16)  Guest  - 


Isn't  Love.wav 

Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx  (37)  First  Song  - 1 
Know  That  You  Know.wav 

Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx  (38)  First  Song  -  Keep 
Your  Sunny  Side  Up.wav 

Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx  (39)  First  Song  -  Keep 
Your  Sunny  Side  Up.wav 

Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx  (40)  First  Song  - 1 
Know  That  You  Know.wav 

Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx  (55)  First  Song  -  Love, 
Your  Magic  Spell.wav 

Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx  (56)  First  Song  -  If  I 
Loved  You.wav 

Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx  (61)  First  Song  -  You 
And  The  Night  And  The  Music.wav 
Frank  Parker  Show,  The  xx-xx-xx  (62)  First  Song  -  Night 
And  Day.wav 

GI  Journal  44-1 1-17  (69)  First  Song  -  Is  You  Is  Or  Is  You 
Ain't.wav 

GI  Journal  44-04-28  (41)  First  Song  -  Sunday.wav 
GI  Journal  44-05-19  (44)  First  Song  -  Great  Day.wav 
GI  Journal  44-06-16  (48)  First  Song  -  Bless  Em'  All.wav 
GI  Journal  44-07-17  (52)  First  Song  -  Snoqualmie 
Joe.wav 

GI  Journal  44-07-21  (53)  First  Song  -  The  Bombardier's 
Song.wav 


Lee  Wiley.wav 

Harry  Richman  Florida  Show,  The  36-xx-xx  (17)  Guest  - 
Lee  Wiley.wav 

Harry  Richman  Florida  Show,  The  36-xx-xx  (18)  Guest  - 
Cliff  Edwards.wav 

Harry  Richman  Florida  Show,  The  36-xx-xx  (19)  Guest  - 
Cliff  Edwards.wav 

Harry  Richman  Florida  Show,  The  36-xx-xx  (21)  Guest  - 
Mildred  Bailey.wav 

Harvest  Of  Stars  48-01-25  First  Song  -  Rio  Rita.wav 
Harvest  Of  Stars  48-02-15  First  Song  -  Great  Day.wav 
Hollywood  Hotel  37-06-1 1  (140)  A  Day  At  The 
Races.wav 

Information  Please  44-03-13  Guest  -  Quenton 
Reynolds.wav 

Information  Please  44-04-24  Guest  -  Irene  Dunne.wav 

Jack  Pearl  Show,  The  37-03-15  (19)  First  Song  - 
Slumming  On  The  Avenue.wav 

Jack  Pearl  Show,  The  37-03-19  (20)  First  Song  -  When 
The  Poppies  Bloom  Again.wav 

John  Charles  Thomas  Show,  The  44-03-12  First  Song  - 
Melico  Del  Packo.wav 

John  Charles  Thomas  Show,  The  44-04-02  First  Song  - 
Sing  Awhile  Longer.wav 


Let  Freedom  Ring  52-xx-xx  (13)  First  Song  -  Forth  And 
Back.wav 


Gisele  MacKenzie  Show,  The  56-xx-xx  (01)  Guest  - 
Johnny  Desmond.wav 

Gisele  MacKenzie  Show,  The  56-xx-xx  (02)  Guest  - 
Russell  Arms.wav 

Gisele  MacKenzie  Show,  The  56-xx-xx  (03)  Guest  -  The 
Crew  Cuts  (AFRS).wav 

Gisele  MacKenzie  Show,  The  56-xx-xx  (04)  Guest  -  Steve    Of  These  We  Sing  52-xx-xx  (12)  First  Song  -  Oh  What  A 


Allen  (AFRS).wav 

Gisele  MacKenzie  Show,  The  56-xx-xx  (05)  First  Song  - 
It's  Gonna  Be  A  Great  Day.wav 

Gisele  MacKenzie  Show,  The  56-xx-xx  (06)  First  Song  - 
Dance  If  You  Want  To  Dance.wav 

The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


Lifebuoy  Program,  The  37-09-28  Guest  -  Al  Jolson.wav 

Of  These  We  Sing  52-x: 
Beautiful  Morning.wav 


Operation  Nightmare  48-04-03  (01).wav 
Operation  Nightmare  48-04-10  (02).wav 


32 


Paul  Whiteman  -  Forever  Tops  46-09-29  First  Song  - 
Allset  Sticatto.wav 

Paul  Whiteman  -  Forever  Tops  46-10-06  First  Song  -  Now 
I  Know  Your  Face  By  Heart.wav 

Rudy  Vallee  -  The  Fleischmann  Yeast  Hour  32-10-13 

First  Song  -  Babes  In  The  Woods.wav 

Rudy  Vallee  -  The  Fleischmann  Yeast  Hour  32-1 1-24 

First  Song  -  A  Little  Kiss  Each  Morning.wav 

Rudy  Vallee  -  The  Fleischmann  Yeast  Hour  33-02-16 


First  Song  -  A  Little  Kiss  Each  Morning.wav 

Rudy  Vallee  -  The  Fleischmann  Yeast  Hour  33-02-16 

First  Song  -  Your  Song.wav 

Rudy  Vallee  -  The  Fleischmann  Yeast  Hour  33-03-02 

First  Song  -  The  Stein  Song.wav 

Rudy  Vallee  -  The  Fleischmann  Yeast  Hour  33-03-16 

First  Song  -  An  Orchid  To  You.wav 

Rudy  Vallee  -  The  Fleischmann  Yeast  Hour  33-04-06 

First  Song  -  Who  Do  You  Love.wav 

Rudy  Vallee  -  The  Fleischmann  Yeast  Hour  33-07-06 

First  Song  - 1  May  Be  Dancing  With  Somebody  Else.wav 

Rudy  Vallee  -  The  Fleischmann  Yeast  Hour  33-1 1-02 

First  Song  -  If  I  Love  Again.wav 

Rudy  Vallee  -  The  Fleischmann  Yeast  Hour  35-01-10 

First  Song  -  Sweet  Music.wav 

Shilling  For  Luck  44-xx-xx  Guest  -  Gene  Kelly 
(AFRS).wav 

Then  And  Now  36-10-01  Guest  -  Al  Jolson.wav 


Amos  And  Andy 


The  Old  Radio  Times  *  February  2009  *  Number  39 


33